


Gundam Force in the Infinite Loops

by Shadow_Wolf75



Category: SD Gundam, SD Gundam Force
Genre: Multi, infinite loops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2018-09-24 15:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 60,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9768905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Wolf75/pseuds/Shadow_Wolf75
Summary: The World Tree is broken, and time in the Multiverse circles around and around . . . might make for some interesting opportunities, in a world where there already IS something of a time loop going on. Expect some crazy adventures, crossovers, and maybe even a little redemption...AKA: My personal contributions for SDGF in the Infinite Loops Project located on the SpaceBattles forums. Yes, there will be falling jargon (though I'll add a short primer to the first chapter).





	1. A Chance to Start Anew

**Author's Note:**

> Below are the standard rules in every first post of a Loops thread... there are of course more beyond this, but not required if you're only going to read the stuff I put up here.
> 
> -One person in a Loop, often the main character, is an Anchor. They are the person who first starts time looping.  
> -There is always at least one Anchor present in a given Time Loop snippet, though it may not be the local one.  
> -The standard pattern for a loop is that the Anchor (and whoever else is Looping there) come to awareness in a loop at a particular point in the story. From there, events will play out as influenced by the Loopers present, acting with the benefit of their foreknowledge, until either a predetermined end point is reached or all the Loopers have copped it.  
> -To be Awake is to be aware of the time loops (that is, to have gone back in time this time.)  
> -The Anchor is the only character guaranteed to be Awake. Even after others have started looping, it is mostly random as to whether they will be Awake this particular loop.  
> -Crossovers, fusions, and alternate pasts can also take place. It is perfectly possible, for example, to have the characters Awaken into a loop which conforms to a fanfic universe rather than reality.  
> -Loops do not have to be in chronological order, but it is strongly preferred that they not require a mutually contradictory order (where A must be before B and B must be before A.)  
> -Just about every Looper is very, very stir crazy.
> 
> And a few other terms:  
> Baseline - the normal canon timeline from start to end  
> Ping - A sort of signal that only Loopers can send and receive, used to confirm if anyone else is Awake in a Loop. Doesn't give direction, though if transmitted from another dimension it'll be muffled a bit  
> Pocket - another Looper only ability, it's a subspace pocket used to store all sorts of things; starts off tiny but grows as one Loops  
> Variant - A Loop that has something altered from Baseline/canon from the start, like a crossover or a gender swap
> 
> Captain Gundam is our Anchor, other people that can also be Awake and Looping are Shute, Zero, Bakunetsumaru, and nearly anyone else except for Deathscythe and General Zeong (as the only truly irredeemable villains of the show). And lastly, the local Admin/god for the Gundam Loops is a guy by the name of Bishamonten, a Japanese god of warriors.

Professor Gerbera of the Dark Axis was not one to panic, or at the very least he was quite good at shoving that sort of fear deep within where it belonged. Still, when his last memories were the scattered fragments of his systems failing for the final time, waking up in his old quarters in the SDG's Blanc Base was plenty to set his processors whirling.

How did he get back here? Why? Was this some strange quirk of that warp gate accident so long ago?

As he was trying to work his way through those questions, he made the mistake of glancing down at himself. Where he was expecting black and dull gold paint on his wrist armor, he found white and sky blue instead, his original colors.

There was no staying in his recharge bay at that, Gerbera stood and made a mad dash for the nearest reflective surface, which happened to be a mirror mounted to a nearby wall.

What he saw there... he felt himself start to tremble at the sight of it.

From the tips of his V-fin to the bottoms of his feet, he stood there in his original white and blue SDG paint job, from back before he ever came across the General. Even more striking, his optics were their old shade of ocean blue, as opposed to the violet they would later become.

It was about there when he realized the only thoughts in his head were his own . . . the lack of the General's whispers was part of what roused him from recharge in the first place.

Gerbera's gaze strayed down towards his chest paneling, specifically where his Soul Drive was hidden. Dare he take a look? There was honestly no telling what the device was doing while it was still locked away. Though given everything else, he had the strangest feeling he already knew what he would find.

A moment's hesitation, a steadying breath even though he didn't really need air, and then he accessed the locking mechanism. His armor shifted around a bit, and finally revealed what lay hidden...

“T-that's impossible...” Shock and wonder each found their place in his voice, and the only thing he could do for the moment was stare in awe.

Gerbera's Soul Drive sat there in his chest compartment as innocently as ever, though perhaps the rings were circling a bit more rapidly than normal due to his unstable emotions. The faintly glowing sphere was just as clear and bright as the day he was activated, the tiny flame within easily seen. If not for his memories, there would be no evidence it ever held the darkness that clouded it while he served General Zeong.

He would've probably stood there staring at it for a while longer, if not for a voice he heard calling outside his door.

“Madnug? You awake in there? Chief Haro wants to talk with you!”

The sound of his true name was plenty to rouse Gerbera from his shock, and he quickly closed his armor back up. Who knew what granted it, but if this was the second chance it looked like, he now had a role to play. At least for a while, anyway. He would run to the ends of Neotopia and beyond if presented with that doomed test flight again.

But for now.... “I'll be right there, just wait a moment!”

* * *

“And you are quite sure I can't just stay here to do my research? Or at the very least, can't we send the pod out in autonomous mode first?”

“Madnug, this mission is the very reason you were constructed. It doesn't make sense for you to get cold feet about it.”

“But, Chief Haro...”

For the most part, this loop looked like a normal Baseline run, but watching his brother almost pleading with their superior officer was not on Captain Gundam's list of typical events. Granted, he usually altered things himself by this point if he were able, but the current delay was entirely Madnug's doing. Was this one of those variants where the GP-04 somehow knew what would happen to him if he took part in the warp gate experiment?

Although, generally if it was that kind of variant, Madnug would be more obviously frightened of his potential fate. Here, the younger Gundam seemed as tense as the launch catapults outside, not so much scared as ready to spring into action at a millisecond's notice. He also kept glancing at Captain from across the room, almost as if he were expecting something. Hoping for a distraction, maybe?

During baseline, Captain learned all about friendship, but it was only during the Loops that he got a chance to know an older brother's duties. He aimed a subtle nod at Madnug the next time he glanced his direction, and then spoke. “Chief Haro, if Madnug does not wish to proceed, there is likely a good reason--”

The roar of flight boosters activating cut Captain off, the GP-04 zipping from the room when Haro's attention wasn't on him anymore.

* * *

Three hours later, Madnug still hadn't come out from wherever he was hiding, so the rest of Blanc Base's aerial units were sent out to find him. Captain was inside the base, running ops along with Juli, though he had been out looking himself earlier. At the moment, he was speaking with Guneagle over comms, while the jet Gundam transmitted his camera feed back to them.

“We checked the city, and the wilds around it, no sign of him. My hunch is he's still hiding up here somewhere, Captain.” The camera feed shifted as Guneagle glanced around, and his gaze focused on the stealth cover over the base.

True, everyone in the city knew of the SDG's existence, but eventually the cloud disguise was added back to Blanc Base as it was a bit of an eyesore without it. The speedy flier took a good look at the top of it from as far away as he could manage, and eventually hit paydirt. “Oh, that little shit, there he is! No wonder we didn't spot him earlier, his armor's the same shade of white as the roof.”

Sure enough, there was Madnug on the screen, sitting on the false clouds and seemingly watching the world go by. His predominantly white armor would've made it hard for anyone going by at speed to see him, despite the light blue accents. As Captain watched, something like intuition stirred in his Soul Drive. The only explanation he could think of for the GP-04's odd behavior was that he started Looping as well. Would... would Yggdrasil really be that merciful? Even after everything, it would still allow for a second chance? He hesitated for only a moment, then sent out a Ping...

...And in the same second was rewarded by his brother jolting in surprise and glancing around, likely searching for the sound he heard out of nowhere.

Guneagle was of course still watching too, and at seeing that he spoke up again. “Crap, I think he saw me! You want me to go ahead with retrieval?”

“No, Guneagle, come back inside. I'll go out and talk to him myself.”

* * *

Less than five minutes later, Captain fitted his Option F thruster pack and flew out of the base, angling up the second he cleared the runway. It didn't take him long to reach the spot on the roof where his brother was sitting and watching the sun begin to set.

Captain landed nearby, though he had to quickly call out to make sure the younger Gundam didn't just dart off again. “Madnug, wait! I just want to talk, but not to convince you of going ahead with that mission. I can have you assigned to the Gundam Force instead of the science division, and Bell Wood will have to find someone else to fly his test pod.”

“You would do that? Even with how much it would change--” Madnug's optics went wide for a moment as he realized what he almost said, and he suddenly quieted.

“Of course I would. 'Even with how much it would change the past', as you nearly said yourself. ” Captain paused for a moment, trying to figure out how best to go about things, then nodded to himself. “Humor me for a moment, Madnug; something interesting will happen in five seconds...”

Five seconds passed, and Captain sent out another Ping.

Again, the strange sound shot across the younger Gundam's audio processor, though at least he didn't jolt as strongly as before. “That was you, earlier? Is that some new ability of our Soul Drives?”

“Not exactly. That, is called a Ping. Since you heard it, that means you are caught up in a much bigger temporal loop than the one I just promised to save you from. Don't worry, you're not alone this time; there are many other Loopers beside the two of us.”

“'Loopers'? Well, go on; I know there has to be more to it than just that.” There was a good bit of uncertainty in Madnug's gaze, but Captain recognized the spark of wanting to discover something new there as well. It was becoming more and more familiar, with how many times he managed to save his brother across the Loops...

Not one to delay, Captain nodded and got on with it. “All right, this may be hard to believe, but it is the truth. This all began with Yggdrasil, the world tree...”

* * *

By the time Captain finished, the sun was set well beyond the horizon, Neotopia's moon and stars in plain view in the sky. At some point during the explanation, he sat down beside Madnug, as that seemed less awkward than just standing there. “So, do you believe me?”

As for the scientist mech, he had gone very quiet during the latter half of the conversation, and stared up at the moon. He sounded a bit haunted when he finally managed to reply. “Yes, I do, as there is no other explanation why I remember _everything_...”

“Everything? So then-- You don't mean--” Captain could try to deny it all he wanted but he knew how Yggdrasil worked; if one was Looping then they remembered Baseline as they experienced it. It did not matter how tragic that history was. At once he reached up, placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. “Oh, Madnug... I-I'm sorry.”

He could have brushed that comfort aside, he could have stood up and flown off again, but the white Gundam stayed put and allowed it. “You did try to save me, in the end. Not that I could see it at the time, with the General's voice echoing so loudly in my head, but in even making the attempt you proved him wrong. It's only now, where my mind is my own again, that I could realize the truth: you never abandoned me. Not back then, and not when I was first lost, either.”

Now Madnug did stand up, pulling slightly away from Captain and turning to face him. “Still, it may be a mistake for me to remain here. This is more of a starting point, it does not mean my issues are resolved. It's likely inevitable that I will slip, or lash out when not intending to...”

Captain looked up at him, letting out a faint sigh before focusing his resolve. “It's all right, Madnug. There were Loops where you gained the memories of your time in the Dark Axis after I saved you; we still made it work, somehow. ”

“Are you sure? I have been 'Professor Gerbera' for far longer than I have been 'Madnug'. It's generally a bad idea to place a wolf in a sheep's pen, after all...”

Captain rolled his optics at his brother at that, given the bad analogy. Neotopians might be peaceful, but Madnug would know as well as anyone they weren't sheep. “So says the Gundam who had to disguise himself as a Dark Axian to play the part of the 'wolf' in the first place. You were fine earlier, and if there are any rough spots, we can handle them together. Come on, I can hardly imagine how much you wanted to return home while you were adrift out there . . . well, now you can be here to stay if you want, and even remember it across Loops.”

There was a part of Madnug that still wanted to run, still thought it would be better to keep to himself for the time being... but those feelings weren't nearly as strong without the General's voice there to reinforce them. Between his in-Loop memories reminding him of what Neotopia was truly like, and what was being offered, well, he was close to tearing up. A faint sniffle proceeded his words once he spoke. “Y-you're right. How in the world could I have forgotten that? Very well, if you feel you can handle things, I will stay.”

Captain was clearly beaming behind his faceplate at that. He stood up, then stepped closer to wrap his brother in a warm hug. “Welcome home, Madnug... and, welcome to the Infinite Loops.”

* * *

Somewhere both far away and closer than you'd think, Bishamonten sighed in relief at the sight on his terminal. “Thank you, Yggdrasil, for allowing that to work so well...”

It had taken a bit of nudging, but the tree picked the most stable point in the sub-branch to get Gerbera looping. The potential problem was his reaction, but thankfully he was much calmer without General Zeong directly influencing his mind.

Overall this would increase branch stability, as the few other members of the Dark Axis with Looping potential now had a better chance to start. Though, it might take a while for Gerbera to get bored enough to start running closer to Baseline... oh well, they had infinity after all, it would happen eventually.


	2. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit further along in that first loop, Madnug seems relatively sane, with his mind clear of any outside influence. However, having served the local Big Bad for so long, adapting to the peace of Neotopia is proving rather difficult. And that's _before_ the lab accident...

Leave it to Yggdrasil, even if it had thrown Captain Gundam a bone by allowing Madnug to Loop, it still couldn't allow things to go entirely uncontested. As an accident in space was out of the question, this time a rather explosive lab accident happened . . . no one died, but the end result was troublesome at best.

* * *

“... coming online again already, huh? Not a surprise, I built you tough for a reason.”

The first thing Madnug heard while starting to regain consciousness was Bell Wood, but that certainly wasn't who he needed to hear. His voice was fraught with static, likely due to whatever damage he suffered, though there was a bit of a shake from anxiety as well. “C-Captain?

It was still very strange, going from hating his brother for so long, to having to rely on him just to navigate living in Neotopia again. Sure, he managed it himself for a few hours when he first Woke up, but there were entirely too many things he would've reacted badly to if not for the older Gundam's steadying presence.

“I'm right here, Madnug.” Captain of course was right there at his side, reaching to hold his hand after a moment.

With that bit of reassurance gained, Madnug started to take a bit more stock of his condition. First of all, his optics weren't responding, because of whatever happened, and he couldn't see a thing. If his sensors weren't dampened, they were locked down entirely or damaged enough to be useless. Some of his touch and pressure sensors were still functioning, so he could feel Captain holding his hand, and that he was lying on a table sans his flight boosters.

Still, Madnug was rather in the dark, and finally just asked something. “With my sensors this locked down, do I even want to know how badly I'm damaged?”

Bell Wood spoke up again at that point, sighing a bit. “Let's just say the list of things that aren't damaged is really short. Don't worry, you're not gonna die or anything, but you won't be doing much until I'm done fabricating new parts for you.”

“And my optics?”

“There was a really bright flash of light in that lab compartment when that whole mess got started. It took out the cameras, so it would've fried your optics too. A new set of those is the first thing on my now very long build list...”

* * *

It was a few minutes later, and Bell Wood had since left to get to work, leaving only the two Gundams in the room.

Madnug let out a miserable sigh. “I should have just left after you told me about Yggdrasil . . . perhaps then, this wouldn't have happened.”

“And where would you go? The Dark Axis no longer exists in this part of the timeline, and our allies in Lacroa and Ark would help search for you if we said you were missing.” Captain reached up to gently pat his brother's shoulder pauldron. “Things might seem terrible right now, but you need to have patience. Bell should have your parts finished in the next two days at the latest, and then you'll get your repairs--”

The white Gundam's reply was small, a bit broken, yet surprisingly venomous when he hissed out, “W-why are you defending them? They planned this, I swear it!”

“Madnug!” Captain's shout wasn't out of anger, but out of concern. He had a feeling this particular issue was still bubbling just below the surface, but thought his brother had a better handle on it than he actually did. Thankfully, he had a few practice runs in dealing with it from earlier Loops.

His Soul Drive was already starting to spin up simply due to his rising emotions, and Captain willed it to strengthen. Having done that, he reached to hold his brother's hand in both of his, and allowed his Soul Drive's energy to flow freely. Not to cause damage or anything of the sort, this was just to pass that energy along. “Listen to me, Madnug. The next time you start thinking like that, I want you to remember this warmth. I would not have this power to begin with, if those in the SDG were the sort to intentionally wish you harm.”

This was quite possibly the only time Madnug ever experienced a Soul Drive's power not being used offensively. The warmth spreading through him didn't seem to care that his sensor grid was shot, and that feeling was a far sight better than the numbness or dull twinges of pain he was stuck with for the past few hours. It was almost soothing enough for him to drift into sleep mode right there, but then his own Soul Drive started to resonate.

Back when he tried to recruit Captain for the Dark Axis, he dismissed their Soul Drives as mere control devices. Yes, they could be used that way, influence passing through them in both directions, but there truly was more to it. If Madnug focused just right, he could almost discern the connections forged between Captain and those he protected or befriended. One shone above the others, but there were so, so many alongside it.

Was that how a Soul Drive became so powerful, by making all those connections? If so, then no wonder he couldn't match up to Captain in combat, despite his better hardware. His own Soul Drive never had a chance to even activate, and he hadn't wanted it to after Zeong grabbed him.

The enhanced strength would be nice, but beyond that, did Captain get to feel this warmth all the time?

Madnug couldn't remember the last time he wanted something for himself so badly...

Eventually the flow of power faded, leaving Madnug a little dazed for a moment, but he shook it off and spoke. “Remember it? I'm not sure I could forget.” He was lost in thought for a few seconds, then wondered aloud, “Captain? Do you think my Soul Drive could ever become as strong as yours?”

The older Gundam was smiling behind his faceplate, given that was exactly the sort of reaction he was hoping for. Things would certainly still be rough going, but at least Captain knew he managed to nudge his brother in the right direction. “With time, I feel the probability of that is one hundred percent.”

* * *

A few hours later, true to his word, Bell Wood finished the replacement optics first and returned to install them.

Once Madnug could see again, he looked down at himself and winced. Whatever happened burned hot enough to scorch most of the paint off of his front, and there were certain parts of his armor that looked a little bit melted. “Well, that explains much. What in the world happened in that lab that was strong enough to melt gundanium?”

The chief science officer of the SDG thought for a few seconds, but in the end he just shrugged. “If you don't remember, I'm not sure we'll ever find out. You know that huge flash of light I mentioned earlier, that took out the cameras and your optics? Turns out it was something like an EMP as well, none of the data recorders in there survived either. Your sensors are hardened against that sort of thing, but that only meant they got damaged instead of destroyed.”

“Judging from my system logs, I was knocked offline the very instant it happened.”

“Then you couldn't get any data at all. Oh well. Sometimes freak accidents just happen, and this one was freaky enough to not feel like getting recorded. This job and Weird Shit just go together, I guess.” A pause, then Bell seemed to realize something. “I was going to do something else... oh right, my official prognosis. Your systems are more stable than I expected, but I'll need to keep you in here for a while for observation. With your armor so trashed, I can't put you back on active duty anyway. Just think of it like a mini-vacation, it shouldn't take more than two days to fabricate all the parts you need.”

“Hmm, very well.”

* * *

The next day dawned, and around mid-morning, Shute was making his way to the small robot hospital wing of the SDG Base, hoping to visit Madnug. He would've visited the day before, but had his own problems to deal with. He idly rubbed at the bandages on his right hand as he walked. There was also something he wanted to get together for the scientist Gundam to borrow, and had it with him in an old backpack.

He was nearing the right room, but that's when he heard a scream, followed by the sound of something very heavy hitting the floor. Naturally he took off running towards the sound, hoping it hadn't come from the room he was going to, but of course it did.

Shute quickly entered his passcode and got the door open, discovering Madnug sprawled on the floor at the foot of his 'bed', likely having jolted awake from a bad dream. The human moved to help his friend up, only to stop short at the faraway and frightened expression in his optics.

He bit back a curse, because of how that look brought him right back to a certain loss in the Dark Axis Fortress, and since it meant Madnug was likely still caught up in a nightmare. Robots in such a state could be dangerous, but he knew what to do.

Shute got down on his friend's level, but not too close, and spoke softly, yet firmly. “Madnug. It's okay, you're not alone now. Whatever you saw isn't real, all right? You're safe, and so's everyone else.”

As that didn't quite seem to get through, he tried something a little riskier. Shute reached over and briefly ran his fingers along one blade of Madnug's V-fin. It was usually a good way to get any Gundam's attention, and one they wouldn't startle at, but he still got ready to jump back just in case.

Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick, and Madnug's optics started to focus on the here and now. He shook his head as if to clear it, and glanced over at the human beside him. “Shute...? Thank you; I was having a difficult time pulling myself out of that.”

“No problem. Nightmares always suck, especially when they don't feel like letting you go. Come to think of it, this is the first time you've had one, huh?”

Madnug almost corrected him, but caught himself at the last second. At this point in the timeline, he was only a few weeks old; it likely would've been his first nightmare if he wasn't Looping. “I think so? Considering yesterday, it's not much of a surprise...”

“Yesterday was scary for everybody, but it would've been even worse for you. That's why I told Captain to stay with you instead of fretting over me and this stupid burn; you needed him more.” There was a faint beep somewhere nearby, likely from one of the diagnostic screens next to the bed. Shute offered his hand to help Madnug up. “Come on, let's get you back up there. Those monitors will start beeping worse if you're out of range too long.”

The still damaged Gundam accepted the help, only now noticing the bandage adorning Shute's hand. “You were hurt as well?”

“Oh, this? It's nothing. I was just too focused on getting you out of danger to remember that gundanium plus heat source equals OW if I touch it barehanded. I remembered real quick, though; used my SDG jacket as a buffer and got right back to pulling you out. Chief Haro got there half a minute later and started helping too... I think his gloves are heatproof like the rest of his uniform, though.”

Madnug's optics widened just a hair in surprise. As much as he knew what Neotopia was like, seeing just how much the humans cared about their robotic compatriots was still a bit of a shock. Especially given the General's endless yammering about how evil humans supposedly were. “You and Chief Haro were the ones to save me?”

“Well, yeah. We were the closest, so of course we weren't gonna wait! It was bad enough you already had one near miss, we weren't about to let something stupid like a lab fire take you from us either.” Shute took a moment to drape one arm across Madnug's shoulders, sort of in a half hug. “I made a promise to Captain and someone else a long time ago, so I'm gonna look after you no matter what, all right?”

Someone else? But who--

No, there was only one person it could be, and Madnug let his optics slide shut at the realization. It was himself, or rather the version of himself that Shute witnessed dying earlier in the timeline.

He didn't understand, it hurt to even try. How could this human possibly be so selfless and caring, even to an enemy? Science was what Madnug was built for, numbers and logic ruled him, but this was entirely outside that framework...

The tiny spark of warmth that just took up residence in his Soul Drive nudged his thoughts in another direction, however. Maybe understanding Shute in and of itself wasn't the important thing here? There were so many other things he accepted as they were, this human and his boundless heart surely fit among those. The warmth in his Soul Drive grew a little bit stronger, and Madnug knew he had the right answer.

As fast as he processed, all of that only took a few seconds. He opened his optics again and replied, maybe sounding a little choked up at first. “Well, thank you very much, Shute. And I'm sure that someone else you mentioned, whoever they are, would also appreciate the gesture.”

“Aww, you're welcome, Madnug. And I hope they'd appreciate it, anyway... not sure I'll ever really know what they would think of it.” Since Shute was so close to his friend at the moment, his hearing picked up a familiar sounding whir over the general idling of the Gundam's systems. At that, he couldn't help a bit of friendly teasing. “Hey, I got your Soul Drive going! Doesn't sound like it activated all the way, but at least it's a start. Maybe one day you'll even be as strong as Captain.”

Cue one blushing Gundam, stammering out something like 'but Captain will always be the strongest'. Thankfully there was something to distract him from his embarrassment, as Madnug noticed the backpack Shute brought along, currently lying forgotten on the floor. “Hmm, what's in your bag, there?”

Shute looked down at it himself, before grabbing it and digging around inside. “Almost forgot, I brought you something to help pass the time while you're stuck in here. Well, Chief Haro might give you some paperwork to do later, but that's not fun.” Soon enough, he pulled a well-worn but well taken care of portable video game system out of the backpack, and handed it to Madnug. “Here, it's old but it still works really well.”

The gaming device in his hands powered up with a perky chime once Madnug found the on switch, and it shortly revealed a touch interface on the bottom screen. “I think I've seen a few of the younger interns carrying a newer version of this around...” There was an echo of the earlier chime, and he glanced over to see Shute held another system of the same model.

“There's a bunch of games loaded onto these, but that one there has a multiplayer mode,” Shute said, pointing out a particular button on his friend's device. “I used to play it with Captain all the time when either of us got stuck in a hospital bed like you are now. Well, when he kept both arms, anyway...” He coughed, and changed the subject. “Well, what do you think? Wanna try that one? It'll be fun, I know it~”

The white Gundam considered this for a moment, before nodding and tapping the button Shute indicated. “All right... even if I'm going to have to let you win a few matches.”

“Let me win? Oh, you'll see, just you wait!”

Madnug still wasn't feeling all that great, but between the wonderful company and the bit of warmth in his Soul Drive that wouldn't fade away, it was very easy to ignore it.

* * *

That afternoon, a different story could be told. Shute had since left, both because he had a patrol to go on, and because Bell Wood arrived with some of the new parts Madnug needed.

Unlike the day before, when his optics were replaced, there was an odd nervousness fluttering around the white Gundam's systems. He knew why, the morning's unpleasant dream squarely to blame... though said nightmare was nothing compared to day to day life in the Dark Axis sometimes. As he would have then, Madnug focused on pushing himself past it, on burying it at least until after he was repaired. This human wouldn't hurt him while he was unaware...

… even though Bell Wood certainly _could_ do plenty of damage, if he wanted...

Ugh, there was no use in that thought! As his blue optics surveyed the room one last time, Madnug mentally reached for the warmth within his Soul Drive, hoping that would be enough to push through. It was tiny, not as intense as it was earlier, but he held onto it regardless while he allowed himself to drift into sleep mode.

The process was still slower than it should have been.

He waited in the dark for what seemed like a terribly long time, only to be pulled up out of it by two polite taps on his V-fin. Madnug brought his optics online again and looked to Bell in confusion. “What is it?”

“Madnug, you didn't go deeply enough into sleep mode. I even gave you a few minutes to see if you could drop any lower, but that didn't happen. You sure you're okay with this right now? This can wait until I have all the parts done if you're not.”

“Doctor, I'm fine. And I would prefer some mobility back sooner rather than later, thank you.” Madnug paused to let some air through his vents, his version of a steadying breath. “It's a simple matter of trying again, so I will try again.”

Once more the scientist mech allowed his systems to gear down, awareness fading as sleep mode claimed him.

Again, two taps on his V-fin brought him back to the light. “Still not enough? Are you sure you can't just--”

“Don't even ask me that, Madnug, you know better.” Getting a bit frustrated now, Bell turned the CPU activity monitor to face the Gundam lying on the table. “See this, your levels are sitting right about here in sleep mode at the moment. They need to be way down here, at the absolute minimum. I cannot legally work on you unless they are, it's for safety reasons. Yours, so you don't somehow feel any of it while I'm working, and mine, so I don't get my hand taken off by you thrashing around out of reflex.”

More air through Madnug's vents, this time a sigh. “This isn't going to work right now, is it.” He didn't even bother making it sound like a question.

“No, it's not. You'll like a full shutdown even less, so I'm not even going to suggest it. Look, in the long run it's better to replace everything all at once anyway. So we'll wait until all those parts are done, and give you a bit of a buffer as well. That should give you plenty of time to get over whatever your problem is. Maybe we'll try again this time next week?”

“What-- but you can't just--” The angry response shortly died on his lips. Too intense an outburst would certainly raise suspicions, something Madnug really didn't want to deal with. At least not alone, anyway. Besides that, his tolerance for having Bell nearby peaked about five minutes ago, and was steadily plummeting. Much more than this, and he probably would give himself a reason to lash out. “... Never mind, you're right. Any earlier than that likely won't work either, so just... just get going.”

Which was exactly what Bell Wood did. He gathered up his equipment and the parts he brought, leaving the room in short order.

As for Madnug, he laid there staring at the ceiling, cursing his weakness as well as wishing Captain would come by to visit. The warmth within him was still there, but right now it wasn't really able to comfort him.

* * *

Being who he was, it was simple enough for Captain Gundam to request opening communications with Lacroa. Likewise simple enough to have that signal redirected to one of the private rooms in the SDG Base meant for coordinating something top secret.

Well, it didn't really count as a secret mission, he was just doing things this way to avoid any unneeded questions. He even had an out-of-Loop privacy spell going, to make sure of that. Only fellow Loopers would be able to hear what he and Zero were really speaking about.

“... and that was what happened. Bell Wood told him that he would wait a week, but I'm not sure Madnug can tolerate being idle for that long. He might not be able to tolerate having Bell repair him, either. I tried to think of a way to do so without relying on sleep mode or a shutdown, and I remembered Princess Rele has healing magic. Do you think she would lend her power to help him?”

“Of course she would, Captain; she is quite fond of Madnug.” The Knight Gundam on the screen narrowed his optics a bit, wondering just why the help was really necessary. “But for some reason I have a feeling there's more to this than you're telling me. Why is he suddenly distrustful of his own designer?”

“There is a reason for that, but it may be best to explain in person--” The door directly behind the console Captain was using opened up, and he sighed in relief when it turned out it was only Shute. It was probably well past time to get his best friend involved in this anyway.

“Hey, guys. If you were going to have a Looper conference, you could have just told me, instead of waiting for me to sense this privacy spell. What's going on, anyway?” Shute was maybe a little annoyed, but honestly he was more curious than anything.

“It's not a formal conference between Loopers, but since I have you both here now...” Captain trailed off, trying to think of how best to word things. “Related to all this, I have an announcement to make: we now have a new Looper among us.”

Zero was the one to reply first, with a bit of a start as he remembered something. “Oh, is that what all the Pinging was about a fortnight ago? It was muffled from the dimensional barriers but I still heard it. That was you getting someone up to speed?”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that too. Didn't reply since nothing really seemed wrong at the time. Then again, weren't we looking for Madnug that day, since he flew off and didn't come back for hours? Come to think of it, he's kinda been acting a little oddly sometimes ever since--” Now, Shute was a genius even as a kid, it didn't take him long at all to connect these dots once presented. “Wait, then that probably means...”

“You're correct, Shute. Madnug is our new Looper.” When it looked like his friend and the other Gundam were about to blurt out something, Captain held up one hand for a moment, asking for quiet. “Before either of you ask, yes, he has ALL of his memories.”

Zero, who was actually hovering a little bit at his console in Lacroa, he slowly drifted back down to the floor. The look in his optics spoke of some very old fear, given the implications of Captain's words. “A-all of them? But wouldn't that just make him Professor Gerbera? Most of his memories would be from living as that persona. Need I remind you of what he and Deathscythe did to Lacroa? Maybe there's no Dark Axis to back him up, and no General either, but he could still be dangerous...”

The Knight Gundam trailed off, having finally noticed the stare Captain was pinning him with. It wasn't angry, not exactly, but Zero knew better than to keep talking.

Shute, meanwhile, he was pretty shocked too. But he let Zero speak first, instead thinking back on everything that happened since the day Madnug Woke up. Overall, the most out of the norm thing happened on the first day, but then there was what was said that morning. He let out a little gasp, putting one hand in front of his mouth for a few seconds. “H-Holy... so that's why...”

At the glances for an explanation from his friends, Shute kept speaking. “I went to visit him this morning, right? Told him Chief Haro and I were the ones to pull him out of the fire, and it kinda felt like he didn't believe it. So then I told him about that old promise I made, you know the one, Captain. I just worded it like 'I made a promise to Captain and someone else to look after you' . . . and I think he figured out the 'someone else' was him, or his past self anyway.”

Captain was very much paying attention now, and he motioned for the human to keep talking. “What did he say in response?”

“He thanked me, and he said 'I'm sure that someone else, whoever they are, would also appreciate it'. I think he wanted to show his gratitude, but didn't want me catching on to what he really meant. He was sincere about it, I know he was; I heard his Soul Drive starting to speed up like yours does. It was only by a little bit, not enough to really activate, but I still heard it.”

“Madnug managed to connect with you at that moment, Shute. Not as strongly as I did with you, but it's still important... he's learning that there are humans he can trust.”

On the screen, Zero was still quiet, still just sort of hanging back and listening to Captain and Shute speak. The longer he listened, the worse he felt, as it seemed Madnug keeping all his memories wasn't that troublesome. He bowed his head a bit when he finally said something, looking rather embarrassed. “Captain, I apologize. I imagine that your brother wants to try living in peace, considering that he stayed. If things had gone terribly wrong over there, you would have called for assistance sooner.”

Captain shook his head, the look in his optics saying he was smiling faintly. “No, it's all right, Zero. I knew it would be a bit shocking to hear that he remembers everything, that was why I waited until now to mention it. But with that out of the way, would you and Princess Rele be able to visit Neotopia tomorrow? It would be for the best to get Madnug on his feet again as quickly as possible.”

The Knight Gundam took a few moments to think, trying to remember what might be planned for the next day. “Yes, we should be able to make it. There's nothing particularly important scheduled for tomorrow, and of course the Princess will want to help... though, there may be something of a problem, now that I think of it.”

“How so?”

“Princess Rele can still make prophecies, as she did during the war with the Dark Axis, and that sometimes allows her to be Loop-aware. It was a flash of foresight that let her figure out that time works differently for me at the moment. If that happens concerning Madnug and she gets the wrong idea...” At the worried looks he was getting from his friends in Neotopia, Zero sweatdropped. It was better for them to know, but that didn't make things easier.

Shute had stayed quiet, to let the two Gundams speak, but here he got his usual determined look in his eyes. “Well if she does get the wrong idea, then we'll just have to convince her otherwise! I mean, we just did that with you, she'll understand if we explain things.”

Even as eager as he was to help, little did Shute know he and his two friends wouldn't be the ones to clear things up for the princess...

* * *

To be honest, Princess Rele was entirely willing to sneak out of the castle the night before, the very moment Zero suggested they make the trip to Neotopia. Madnug was injured, and they weren't sure if Bell Wood could help? Of course she wanted to head over there right away! It was bad enough he was nearly lost in space, just like... an old enemy had been, but to have him hurt not more than two weeks afterward just wasn't fair.

But, it was really late at the time, and Zero persisted that they wait until morning when he caught her yawning a little. It was probably for the best, given Rele would have to use her magic to cross dimensions anyway.

When morning in Lacroa dawned, the princess woke, got dressed in her adventuring gear, stuck around long enough at breakfast to notify her father and advisors that she was going to Neotopia for the day, then collected Zero and headed off.

Oddly, the very second Rele started the spell that would take her and the knight Gundam to Neotopia, her intuition started acting up. Mana itself would sometimes send her bits and pieces of the future, sometimes in prophetic dreams, but more often in short flashes while she was awake. Now, it hadn't actually triggered yet, she just had the nagging feeling that it was going to.

Said feeling persisted as the spell carried the both of them from one world to another, and as they traveled from their landing point at Site B to the SDG Base proper. By the point they were traversing the halls of Blanc Base, the princess just wished it would go away already, but the foreboding feeling still lingered in the back of her mind. It was quite possibly one of the longest times it ever stuck around, come to think of it.

Eventually, once they met up with Captain and Shute, after a short conversation Rele headed to the robot hospital wing, to take care of what she went there to do.

* * *

Madnug certainly wasn't expecting any visitors, but hearing the door chime was welcome indeed. “Come in!” It got a bit better when the door opened and he saw who it was. “Princess Rele? This is a pleasant surprise, but why are you here? Did word of my near miss even reach Lacroa?”

Rele stepped further into the room, nodding. “Yes, it did. This would just be a visit for the day, but Captain and Shute told me you were having issues with your repairs. So, if you'll allow me to heal you--”

At that moment, the princess's intuition finally leaped out at her, reality lost temporarily to the visions granted by her magic. She could still see Madnug there in front of her. But the next time she blinked he suddenly seemed to be wearing a familiar set of pinkish-red Dark Axis armor, his true face hidden by the helm, with its singular optic gleaming balefully at her. The next blink, he was wearing that armor while facing off against Deathscythe. The next, not wearing the armor but in the blacks, grays and gold she'd last seen on his counterpart so many years ago, though his optics remained as blue as ever. And the last, he was still in those dark colors, but flying alongside Captain, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru, roaring out his own challenge to General Zeong in unison with them.

This was... this would be Madnug's future? But it didn't make any sense, not unless...

The vision faded in short order, revealing one very concerned Gundam calling out to her. The only reason Madnug stayed sitting on his bed was likely because he couldn't keep steady on his feet, otherwise he would've been right there next to her. “Rele? Rele, can you hear me? What's wrong?” When he noticed her eyes regaining some focus, he looked relieved, though also a little curious. “Was that another of your visions? What did you see?”

For a moment, the princess hesitated in speaking, not sure if she wanted to tell him. But she caught herself, as for all she knew this was still the enemy. Even as much as it broke her heart... even as much as it might break his, Rele spoke her mind. “What I saw was impossible. You... are affected by the same 'looping' that Zero is, aren't you? Time will repeat for you, and everything I saw was from a different future. On that note, who am I speaking with right now? Are you still the eager young scientist, wanting to learn and teach all he can? Or are you the lurking shadow behind the Dark Axis, who used his pawns to conquer and destroy?”

Madnug's optics cycled through emotions more quickly than Rele thought a Gundam could manage. Shock first of all, a bit of dawning horror, then for about half a second it looked like he was getting teary-eyed before the feeling seemed to harden into anger. After another second, he laid back down on the bed, allowing his optics to close before letting loose a drawn out sigh. “Well. At this rate, I suppose I'll be handling my own repairs.”

“You did not answer my questions.”

At that, the mech in front of Rele moved again, but just enough to be able to regard her with one opened optic. “Yes, Princess, I am Looping, though this is only the first time I've been sent back. As for who I am?” Here Madnug looked up at the ceiling, very much lost in thought. It was probably a longer pause than he was intending. “I'm still working that out. It's not quite as simple as being one or the other . . . Yggdrasil can never let me have something easy, after all.”

Rele crossed her arms in front of her, glaring down at him. “Oh, really? You're certainly being just as belligerent as you ever were back then--”

Madnug shot upright again, looking very similar to an annoyed cat thinking about pouncing on the subject of their ire. But he stayed put, glaring right back. “I am being 'belligerent' because you've already made up your mind!”

* * *

Captain, Shute and Zero were nearby in the robot hospital wing, but they hadn't followed Rele the entire way to Madnug's room. They were close by, just in case, but it seemed like they weren't needed.

… And then they heard the shouting in the distance.

Of course the three of them took off running (or flying) after the princess on hearing that; there was nowhere else it was probably coming from.

Shute managed to get to the door first, hitting the button on the doorframe to open it. “Guys? Everything okay in here?”

Rele and Madnug turned towards the now open door as one, but from the glares, they weren't particularly happy about getting interrupted.

Zero hadn't seen how banged up Madnug was until now. Seeing the damaged Gundam mostly down to bare metal on his front but still trying to make himself look bigger or more threatening, that was pretty comical, but it was hard to snicker while weathering Rele's glare.

“A warning about this would have been lovely, Zero, but I have things under control here. Don't disturb us again, please.” With that, the princess focused her magic, then used it to close the door in their faces.

Shute took a bit of a step back, not sure what to make of it. “He's pissed, she's pissed . . . what do we do?”

“I... I think we let them work it out on their own, Shute.” Captain was just glad his brother hadn't gotten any new damage, all things considered.

“We're going to have to, her Highness put a royal seal on the keypad. I could probably break it, but that would make her more angry than she already is.” Zero pointed at said keypad, that now had a miniature version of Rele's usual magic circle blocking it from use. “It's all up to them, now.”

* * *

“Now, where were we? Right, I was just starting on what you and your Dark Axis did to my beautiful kingdom of Lacroa. Close to decades of peace, and then people started turning to stone in the outlying provinces. We thought it was a curse, at least until the non-Gundam mobile citizens turned on us, and then the bulk of your invasion force arrived. I was 12 years old at the time . . . I am royalty, I was always destined to live through unpleasant situations, but what do you think having that happening during my childhood was like?” Rele took a moment to shudder briefly. “I still have nightmares sometimes...”

“Don't forget you had a traitor in your ranks, Princess. Deathscythe, who you knew as Deed, he would have moved against Lacroa regardless of my assistance. Having additional forces merely allowed him to accelerate his timetable.” Madnug shook his head at the very thought of the fallen knight Gundam. “Tch, such a loathsome creature. Losing the Spirit Tree to the Bagu Bagu was a setback to be sure, but considering it was also a setback to _him_ , I still think it was a fair trade.”

“But you were allies, weren't you?”

The laugh the white Gundam let out at that was not friendly, especially given the spite that followed it. “Hah! Allies of convenience, nothing more. I _hated_ Deathscythe! I had need of his transportation magic, that was the only reason I did not rip out his mana crystal and feed the remains to the General myself. He was a fool, he allowed his obsession with you to rule his every action, never realizing the path he took only ensured you were forever beyond his reach.”

It was there that Madnug paused, glancing down toward the floor and fidgeting a bit, not sure what to do with his hands. To Rele, his voice sounded oddly younger or perhaps more vulnerable when he spoke again. “And... and he did not deserve you, besides...”

The princess was furiously contemplating what that might mean, if it had anything to do with Madnug's earlier 'not as simple as one or the other', but she still had grievances to air and so pressed on. “Even so, I still spent the better part of two years as a statue, along with the rest of my kingdom.”

“At least you had hope, Princess. I didn't even have that.” Another brief pause, and this time Madnug chuckled darkly at his own foolishness. “Correction, perhaps I did for a time, as misguided as it was. I did not get to meet all of you for my first life, though I imagine you remember hearing this...”

“As loudly as you were shouting it to the whole battlefield that day, I doubt I could forget it. How you were pressed into service mere hours after your activation?”

“The last friendly face I ever saw was Captain Gundam. Even as much as I grew to hate everything about Neotopia, even as tight as the General's leash was, for some reason I held onto that. Some faint hope that he could still save me, I can't even recall what it truly was. When I invaded the Gundamusai, I genuinely wanted Captain's help. But, to be denied so vehemently, and in favor of a human at that...” This time it was Madnug's turn to shudder, his armor rattling a bit.

Rele hesitated at urging him to continue, especially given that finer shaking still wracked the Gundam's body after that admission. In the end she wouldn't have to, as it turned out there was no closing this floodgate once opened.

“I fought Captain on that battlefield in Ark, though my heart was not in it. I truly did not care about much of anything by that point, simply going through the motions the General wished, as there was nothing else left for me. I fought, and I lost.” Madnug's optics were distant at that point, he stared straight ahead and yet did not seem to focus on the human in front of him. “Tell me, Princess, did you ever hear of what happened on the Fortress, after the General pulled me back?”

Rele shook her head. “No, I have not.” She knew where it was probably going, considering Zeong revived immediately afterward, and she never saw the enemy Gundam again. There was no point in telling him to stop, as this felt like something he had to get out, one way or another.

“Not surprising they would spare you, but this is the truth. I was damaged, badly . . . I could not fly, I could not fight. Thus the General demanded one final task, the fate I was doomed to from the moment I entered his service. He howled, he roared, he commanded me to join with him, to serve as the last drop of gundanium needed for his revival. As broken as I was, I didn't put much effort into resisting. Captain, my poor naive brother, he tried his best to save me, but it was far too late . . .”

Having said that, finally laid all of it to bare, Madnug lowered his head and glanced towards the floor again, this time shutting his optics tightly and looking rather close to breaking down. He sat there unmoving, apart from the near constant trembling.

There was silence in the room for what felt like an eternity, and then there was clicking of footsteps across the metal floor.

Madnug jolted to attention when he felt a touch, and discovered Rele right there in front of him, with tears in her eyes and both of her hands on top of his.

“I—I'm sorry I made you relive that, I'm sorry . . . but I'm not sure I would understand if you hadn't.” Rele's smile was a weak one, but that fact that it was there made all the difference. “You were right, earlier; you're not just the eager scientist or the soldier of the Dark Axis. With all those memories, you're both. You've only been around for about three months so far, and I doubt you've remembered everything that entire time . . . it would certainly take you longer than that to reconcile all of it, to figure out how you truly feel.”

“Rele...?” Those blue optics of his still looked very close to tearing up, but at least now there was hope beside the sadness.

The princess paused in thought for a moment at Madnug's questioning gaze, trying to think of what else to say. In a flash one of her own memories beckoned to her, something that was pretty early in his current life. “I have one more thing to ask. Bell Wood brought you with him to Lacroa about two weeks after you were activated, to help us fix our dimensional communicator. You wandered away from him and got lost, then ran into me. Not really knowing who I was, you said my kingdom was beautiful. Do you still believe that?”

Something of an embarrassing memory now, but the white Gundam did indeed have all that in his loop memories. He was eager to explore at the time, not so much when he lost track of his minder, but he got to meet Rele without her being surrounded by guards and other servants. She'd asked him 'What do you think of Lacroa?' and he responded with 'It's beautiful!... even if I don't know where everything is yet...' . Even as the princess guided him back, he remembered chattering to her more about what he thought of the place, maybe a bit like a young human would.

Madnug thought back on all his memories of Lacroa, from that time and everything in his past life, though it did not take him long to decide on an answer. The kingdom always had a sort of serene grace about it, something he appreciated regardless of its condition. It was a source of calm when those were very hard to find for him. “Yes, I do.”

Rele's smile grew a lot stronger at that. “Then... that's enough for now. I won't ask anything more of you, not until you're ready.” With that she leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug as tightly as she could, calling upon her healing magic as she did.

For the life of him, the white Gundam couldn't tell if the growing warmth within was from Rele's healing or from the quickening pace of his Soul Drive.

* * *

Back outside the room, Captain, Shute and Zero were wondering why it was so quiet in there all of a sudden. The human had taken to pacing around a bit, the knight Gundam doing the same but hovering slightly off the floor. Captain meanwhile was standing there patiently, trying to have faith that his brother and the princess would come out of there unscathed.

Since he was standing there quietly, the Neotopian defender caught sight of the royal seal vanishing first. “Shute, Zero, I think we're about to find out how it went...”

The two stopped their pacing, and made space in front of the door.

Soon enough it opened, Princess Rele emerging first . . . followed by Madnug right behind her, with his damage repaired by her healing magic, paint and all.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the three that were waiting, though Shute spoke up first. “Oh, thank Yggdrasil! After all that yelling, I was so worried...”

“Worried? There was no need for that, I said I had it handled. We just had to... sort things out, that was all.” Rele turned to pat Madnug on his shoulder. “If this Gundam needs to vent to any of you, let him. He has a lot on his mind, given everything he's been through.”

As for Madnug, he sort of squinted at Shute. “Did I just hear 'thank Yggdrasil'? Have you been Looping this whole time?”

Shute grinned at him. “Well yeah, I was second after Captain. You're like the fifth. And I didn't know you were Looping until last night, so we're even.”

“That promise of yours... it truly is appreciated. All right, _now_ we're even.” Even if he was fairly sure Shute would've figured it out, being truthful about it made Madnug feel better.

There was a polite yet kind of loud cough from the hovering knight Gundam in the background. “Anyway, if all of this is settled now, Princess Rele and I have the rest of the day to spend in Neotopia. But given all the casting she's done so far, it's probably a good idea to go find some lunch first.”

Sure enough, there was a faint growl from Rele's stomach, which she blushed a bit at. “Oh my, I suppose I am getting famished...”

Shute spoke up again, remembering something. “Hey, there's this awesome new place that just opened in the city, wanna go there? The food's really good.” He looked over their little group, deciding they would need bigger transportation if he was going to bring three Gundams along. “If everyone's going, I can just commandeer a Gunperry...”

As the conversation continued in the background, everyone following Shute out of the hospital wing and probably to Blanc Base's flight deck, Madnug found a message from Captain on their private text channel. He didn't let it sit there without a reply for long, otherwise his brother would just keep messaging him.

> **GP01** : Are you really all right?  
> **GP04** : I... will be. She knows about what happened on the Fortress at the end, now.  
> **GP01** : Ouch. You probably needed to tell someone, considering you did it at all, though.  
> **GP04** : If she's not Looping, am I going to have to do that again?  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : Like Hel you are, do you have any idea how much on the fly coding I had to do during that mess?  
> **GP04** : …  
> **GP01** : *sigh* Madnug, allow me to introduce our Admin, Bishamonten.  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : Greetings. In any case, I just cached that whole thing to Rele-hime's code; if you're Awake, she'll Dream of it, thus sparing you of that ordeal again. Be thankful you have such a hard working Admin.  
> **GP04** : I am very thankful, sir... you are the only reason I have this chance, after all.  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : The Tree would've had you Loop regardless, you're too connected to Captain. I'M the only reason it actually worked out. JSYK, I did some nudging, you'll start in this end of the timeline for around 50 loops. Use that time to figure out what you really want, and to build up your strength . . . after those 50 runs, it's anyone's guess when you'll face Zeong again.  
> **GP01** : But what about the Grima patch?  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : That will break him loose if he Wakes in the Dark Axis, but it can't prevent the initial mind control, it'll only keep that damned General from finding out about the Loops.  
> **GP04** : Thank you for the warning . . . at least now I have some idea of how to find that strength you mentioned.  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : Madnug. The path you're starting off on now, it's a long one. When it gets hard, listen to your brother, and even some of the other Loopers, they'll help you keep your footing. There's a balance between light and dark, other Loopers have found it; I'm sure you can too.  
> **GP04** : I... I'm not sure what to say to this vote of confidence...  
> **NorthHeavenlyKing** : If words fail, actions work better. Do the one thing your Baseline wouldn't allow you: live well. On that note, I'll let you two get back to that.

Live well? To be honest, Madnug wasn't sure what to make of that either. But then he caught Captain's gaze and got a smile back, and that felt like something in the right direction. It might be an uncertain path out ahead, but with Captain, Shute, and everyone else there with him, he wouldn't be afraid to walk along it.

 


	3. Burning Restitutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bakunetsumaru discovers Gerbera is looping . . . he's not nearly as happy about this as Zero was. The Professor being a smartass about it really isn't helping, either.
> 
> (AKA a rematch we probably should've gotten in canon, enabled by the Loops)

It was a bog standard Baseline run, with none of the subtle changes that indicated anyone in the Dark Axis had Awakened early. The attempted invasion of Neotopia went as it usually did, they went to Lacroa and stomped Deathscythe, and now their ship was back sailing the Minov as they waited to be boarded.

Only, when they were boarded, the instant Gerbera fully appeared on the bridge he froze in place, not seeming sure of what to do.

“Um, aren't you going to try and recruit Captain?” Shute broke the silence first, wondering what was going on.

Gerbera's single optic glanced toward Captain when he was mentioned, but then focused on the boy. “I was thinking of surrendering, actually...”

Shute opened his mouth to say something else, but that was when he heard the rapid fire Pinging in Gerbera's typical 'distress' pattern. “Oh, pffft, did you just Wake up?”

“The very moment I boarded this ship, yes.”

Captain and Zero were also Awake, and perfectly fine with this. Rele, Unawake, was unsure and lingered near the elevator, but on using her magic for a moment she discovered the Dark Axis mech in front of them wasn't currently a threat.

Bakunetsumaru, also Awake, was not so fine with things. "What, he's Looping?"  
  
Shute glanced over, looking confused. "Uh, yes?"  
  
"Tenkyo--"  
  
There was a thump, of someone jumping on a certain samurai.  
  
"For fuck's sake, Baku, you're gonna hit Raimi!"  
  
The ship's AI spoke up in her usual calm tone, despite the danger she was in a second prior. "Indeed, most of my memory systems are located in the wall directly behind the intruder. I do have to wonder where you picked up such language, Shute."

From his position on the floor, the Musha Gundam wiggled a bit, trying to get Shute to let him up.“But why didn't you tell me he was Looping?”

“Well, we tried, a lot... it's been a good while since he started, too. Maybe close to 80 loops by now?” There were so many times Shute remembered, only it didn't get through as Baku was distracted with something else.

“I've been awake I don't know how many times for those 80 loops, how did I not realize he was Looping?”

Over in the corner, Gerbera offered his theory, a bit of amusement in his voice. “Perhaps because Musha Gundams are scatterbrained?”

“Madnug, be nice!” That was Captain, who eyed his brother with a rather flat look.

Gerbera's lone pink optic rolled to the heavens, and he scoffed. “I was merely stating my observations on Musha Gundams, nothing more. It's really no wonder that Ark is in a constant state of war, given how little focus most of the clans have. Kibaomaru was the only exception I've seen; while I did not care for how ploddingly he moved his pieces at times, his tactics did work quite well for the most part. Buritenmaru may have been similar in his prime, but we are far past that point...”

Dead silence from everyone else, and their eyes and optics turned towards Bakunetsumaru.

It did take Baku a second to process all of that, but once he did, the fires of righteous indignation were burning in the samurai's optics. Even with Shute still keeping him pinned, there was no denying his fury. “Yooooou... It's bad enough to insult me, and my kind in general, but to slander the name of my master while offering praise to that black-heart Kibaomaru?! I've had enough! Gerbera of the Dark Axis, I challenge you to a duel!”

“What? I don't have to adhere to the customs of Ark--” The professor began to protest, only to be cut off by the quiet words from his brother.

Captain didn't sound angry, but there was a certain intensity lurking just below the surface, one that the others had rarely heard before. “Bakunetsumaru? If you fight him, can you avoid killing him?”

“Not all duels are to the death, you know.” Baku paused in thought. “Challenger makes the rules, so... fighting to exhaustion or surrender will be fine. I only want to smack the smug off him, anyway.”

Satisfied with that, the Anchor nodded. “Well then, I won't stand in your way.”

On the other side of the room, Gerbera jolted in surprise, never expecting this of his brother. “But Captain--”

“No buts! As your brother and the Anchor, there are a lot of things I will protect you from, but Bakunetsumaru is one of my best friends and you made him angry. I would rather you resolve that between yourselves. Either it happens now, where I can make sure things don't get too far out of hand, or it happens whenever he decides it's worth the risk of jumping you. Do you understand?”

For a moment, it seemed Gerbera was still going to be defiant, his optic flickering like he was about to say something. But between the words and the look he was getting from Captain, he found himself glancing away, his gaze finally just focusing on the deck panels. The part of him that couldn't help but analyze everything idly mused on just how much his bond with his brother had grown, if disappointment affected him this much. “Yes, I understand.”

“Thank you. It's better to get this over with now instead of waiting for the next time you're both Awake.”

Since things seemed to be calming down, Shute stood, then reached down to help Bakunetsumaru up. “Glad that's settled, but where's this duel happening, anyway? You could do it out on the hull.”

Once Baku got to his feet, he thought on it for a moment but shook his head. “There's certainly enough room out there, but I've had enough of falling into the Minov for one adventure. It's just going to be sword to sword, with no flashy attacks; the cargo hold should be fine for this.”

“The cargo hold? But isn't that where all the Zakos are?”

* * *

 It was business as usual in the Gundamusai's cargo hold, and though things had suddenly gotten very quiet upstairs, the show must go on, after all. There were other things to talk about besides current events, anyway.

“Zako!”

“Zako!

“Zako!”

“Zako Zako Hour!”

The metal curtain over the stage went up, revealing the usual three Zako hosts. As always, the one holding the red microphone called out to the audience of other Zakos and the three squad leaders first. “Ladies and gentlebots, welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about, all together now--”

The world would never know what the meeting was about, as a very loud bang came from off to stage right, near one of the doors leading out into the rest of the ship. A few seconds passed then a few more clangs of metal hitting metal could be heard.

The small horde of Zakos, being the easily startled mooks they were, quickly started to panic. “Oh no, what's going on?”

“Those Gundams finally decided to come down here and scrap us, that's what!”

“We're all gonna die!”

A resounding crack split the air as Zapper Zaku struck the floor with his mop. For supposedly being reprogrammed, Zapper certainly still knew how to get his troops settled down. “Quiet, you lugnuts!! I hear talking out there!”

Everyone else shut up at that, just in time to hear the next bit of conversation outside.

“Raimi, why's this door jammed?” That was Shute...

“The controls have been destroyed on the opposite side, along with any remote functionality I could access. The door itself also appears to be welded shut.” The ship AI was quick to give her assessment of things...

“Surprisingly resourceful, given their overall performance in Neotopia. Still, I'm not going to allow a mere delaying tactic to stand in my way for long; step aside.” Now that third voice? That was all but impossible, because why the blazes would Professor Gerbera be on board the Gundamusai?

A few seconds later, the unholy screech of a set of metal cutters tearing into the door was heard. Most of the Zakos instinctively cringed, with Zapper, Grappler and Dom managing to keep their own panicked reactions to a quick flinch. If one spent any time on the Dark Axis Fortress at all, they definitely saw or heard some poor bastard getting dragged off by the Professor for upgrades or experiments at one point or another. The lucky ones got the upgrades. The unlucky tended to just never be seen again...

The cacophony stopped as abruptly as it started, then whoever it was on the opposite side kicked the door down. When the dust settled, sure enough, it was Professor Gerbera who stepped into view first, followed by the Gundam Force who were surprisingly unharmed. Gerbera's optic flashed a bit imperiously as he stared down at his minions. “What exactly are you fools doing in here?”

This was entirely too much weird in the space of ten seconds for Grappler Gouf to not say anything snarky, consequences be damned. “We could ask you why you aren't killing those Gundams, or that stupid human.”

“Now that is a long story... do try to keep up, I'm only telling it once.”

* * *

 “So let me get this straight, since this is strange even for you, Professor. You want those Gundams to ally with you, for some reason you won't tell us. But, you went and pissed off samurai boy over there somehow, he's challenged you to a duel, and now the rest of them won't give you the time of day unless you fight him. I think that's everything?” Grappler Gouf was still plenty confused about the whole situation, but summing it up for everyone else helped a little bit. The one thing about it that honestly troubled him was what sort of problem Gerbera had that he needed the Gundams to help deal with. The only sort of thing that might fit the bill... well that was traitorous at best, better to not even consider it.

“More or less. I do have a bit of a schedule going, and I'd like to get this over with, so if you all wouldn't mind...”

Regardless of what might happen afterward, the thought of Bakunetsumaru getting his can kicked in by Gerbera was almost worth the price of admission. Zapper Zaku stepped up, to get the Zakos to start moving. “All right, boys, make some space! You're about to see just why the Professor is second in command!”

Before anyone could really do much, a new voice made itself known. “During all my travels through time, including these blasted repeats, I have never seen a situation quite like this before. Two mighty souls are indeed destined to fight on this day, but a warrior from Ark is generally not one of them. Something so interesting deserves a proper field of battle, wouldn't you all agree?”

Everybody glanced upward at the sound, only to discover local reality had started to shift a bit. A set of fusuma doors dropped into place in the darkness of the highest points of the room, and they soon parted to allow a grand white ship to glide through them. On that ship stood what was possibly the strongest Musha Gundam to ever live, clad in white and gold armor: the Daishogun of Perfect Virtue.

Since he clearly had everyone's attention, the Daishogun continued to speak. “Bakunetsumaru, Blazing Samurai of Ark, and Professor Gerbera of the Dark Axis... hear me. I shall bear witness to your combat, but as I stated a moment ago, in a more appropriate setting.”

With a flourish of his war fan, the Gundamusai's cargo hold was quickly replaced with the Ark-style combat arena otherwise known as the Garden of Samurai Spirits. A light flurry of cherry blossom petals greeted everyone as they reappeared, scattered around the arena.

Zapper Zaku glanced around at all of this and let out a sigh. “Here we go with this crap again...”

* * *

 The Dark Axis troops gathered on one side of the arena, the Gundam Force on the other. Opposite sides, as always. Something about that bothered Gerbera more than he cared to admit, though he really couldn't put a finger on the reason. True, in Baseline, it was inevitable, but for any given loop there were ways around that. Captain and the others Woke before he did, they could have tried something different...

The irony of having these thoughts while waiting to start a duel with Bakunetsumaru was not lost on the scientist, and somewhere under his obscuring helm he was smirking in wry amusement.

Still, it was probably better for the Dark Axis soldiers to have something of an enemy, as opposed to being completely without direction. Maybe once a few of them started Looping themselves, he'd start working on pointing them at Zeong.

That was something for future loops, for this one, there was a duel to attend to and hopefully win.

The Daishogun glanced over the two fighters in the center of the arena, and noting their stances, he spoke up. “Are you two warriors ready?”

Gerbera had to take a second to think. While he certainly could fight on the ground with his flight boosters equipped, they would make him a larger target and the extra weight would slow him down. Not a good thing when faced with a quick opponent like a Musha Gundam. “Just a moment...”

He moved to join his subordinates, jumping down from the raised part of the arena. Once he had enough clear space behind him, he leaned down low enough for the ends of his thrusters to touch the floor, then activated the release for the bolts that held the whole flight array onto his frame. He quickly caught the end of it before it could just fall over, and lowered it the rest of the way down. With it safely detached, Gerbera glanced to his minions. “Keep an optic on that; I would prefer it remained undamaged.”

As the Professor made his way back to the center of the arena, Grappler Gouf took a closer look at the flight array, though he avoided actually touching it. “Huh. Anyone else not know he could remove that?”

Soon enough, Gerbera resumed his earlier position and took up a fighting stance, this time allowing both of his multitool gauntlets to fully deploy. The various drill bits, cutters, and claws seemed to move with minds of their own, all able to strike from angles his opponents might not be expecting.

Bakunetsumaru actually took a bit of a step back, bringing one sword up into a guard position, though he'd certainly seen something like this many times before. “Well, now I know where Ashuramaru got the idea...”

“Heh, who do you think installed those extra arms onto his frame? He did quite well with them, at least until he grew overconfident.” Gerbera made the gripper claws click ominously, in something of a threat display. “I wonder, will you fall victim to that same overconfidence?”

The Daishogun glanced between the two fighters, and with their bared weapons, decided to get things started. “My, it seems you two are quite ready for battle now. Very well then...” The much more powerful mech folded his war fan, then quickly brought it down against the side of his ship, the sharp crack it made drawing everyone's attention. “BEGIN!”

Never one to waste any time, Gerbera charged forward first, lashing out with a good portion of his power, but not all of it. There was no use in wearing himself out too quickly.

Baku crossed his swords in front of him to block, catching the majority of the strike and getting pushed back a good foot, though he did not waver otherwise. “You're strong, stronger than Captain . . . good. I was hoping you'd give me more of a challenge than I was expecting.”

With that, the samurai focused his strength and started pushing back, making Gerbera have to give up some ground. Once he had enough leverage, he broke the blade lock with a flourish then lashed out himself, one katana deflecting a parting strike from some of the drills while the other caught his opponent across the right shoulder.

A shard of the gold trim from the Professor's shoulder armor clattered to the floor as he jumped back out of range. “Hmmph, that was luck...”

“Luck? Really? Well then, I'll just have to see how long my luck holds out!” Baku charged to the attack, the battle getting started in earnest.

* * *

 A few minutes into things, both combatants were sporting some new chinks and gashes in their armor, though nothing truly disabling yet. Sparks flew from some of the deeper cuts.

Gerbera lost two of the drill bits on his gauntlets by that point, but still had more than enough tools to disassemble his enemy remaining. He snaked one of his cutter blades around an incoming katana strike from Bakunetsumaru. While he took some damage from that himself, Baku took far more as he lost a good bit of the decorative armor from his left forearm.

When the two broke from this latest clash, they started slowly circling each other.

The Professor kept his optic on Bakunetsumaru's footing, to make sure he wasn't about to get lunged at. When it turned out Baku was just as wary currently, Gerbera posed a question as he continued to size up his opponent. “So, you Musha Gundams... why do you fight, why are you so eager for battle? It seems as if your CPUs are sword-shaped for all the dueling you do.”

“You wanna know? If it's over a matter of honor, of course we'll fight! Like your insults from earlier.” The samurai suddenly faked a charge, though the Axian in front of him wasn't fooled. “You had no respect for me, my master, or even the rest of Ark, so it's my job to make you answer for that! I'd also like some honor back from how you so easily subdue me with that parlor trick of yours...”

It took Gerbera half a second to remember what would normally happen in Baseline, and he let out a faint chuckle once he did. “Oh, my anchor launcher?” He went ahead and fired one at Baku just to be a troll, though the gold-toned bladed projectile was sliced to bits the second it got close enough.

“That is so rude!”

“Hah, it was still worth the attempt!” Gerbera closed to melee range again and tried to overwhelm the samurai with a flurry of strikes, followed up by trying to pull one of those swords away with his claws. “But back to the subject, I've known your kind to still fight even if it's not over a matter of honor. Why is that?”

Considering Bakunetsumaru was a bit too busy dodging attacks or trying to hang onto his sword, the Daishogun spoke up in his stead. “If the people of Ark can be described in one word, that word is 'passionate'. We live in the moment, giving our all in whatever it is we do. Now, we all have different ideas of how to go about that, which inevitably leads to conflict. 'Why do we fight?' That is a good question, but perhaps a better one is 'What is worth fighting for?' Home, family, friends... a few of the more important things, but there are certainly others. Do you have anything worth fighting for, Gerbera?”

Usually he was the one posing the questions, not having one pointed right back at him! Between that and not quite being able to think of an answer right on the spot, Gerbera was distracted enough that Baku managed to pull away and then counterattack. With one arcing slash, the samurai managed to slice off the remaining weapons from his enemy's right gauntlet.

Gerbera's answering attack was a bit more haphazard than he would've liked, but it got him space enough to aim a glare at the Daishogun. “Whose side are you on?”

“As always, my own. If there is a lesson to be taught, then I will try my best to teach it.” With a flourish, the Daishogun flipped open his war fan, then brought it up close to his face. He peered over it with a sly expression. “Can you answer me, Professor?”

The two combatants went back to circling each other warily, Gerbera now keeping his optic squarely on Baku even as he spoke to the other Musha. “I am not a sentimental person, not the sort to wear my Soul Drive on my sleeve. That said, yes, there are a few things I feel are worth fighting for. Surely that will suffice for now, given the circumstances?”

The Daishogun lowered his fan and closed it again, nodding. “Very well. We will speak further on this later.”

On the Dark Axis side of the arena, there was a confused murmur among the Zakos. It was Grappler Gouf who put it into words, tilting his head askance as he watched the continuing battle. “Did Gerbera just say he has a Soul Drive?”

“Maybe he did, but the Commander had one too, remember? Explains why the Professor's so much stronger than we are, anyway.” Zapper Zaku took it in stride, shrugging.

Back in the middle of the arena, the battle continued, though Gerbera was now at a distinct disadvantage. He could still use his right gauntlet like a makeshift shield, but he was down to a little less than half of his weapons. That didn't mean he was finished, far from it, it only meant he would need to work a bit harder to get his attacks to land. He lashed out, his remaining cutter blade slicing a good chunk off of Bakunetsumaru's right shoulder armor.

Though, he wasn't fast enough to jump back out of range in time, and another piece of his own armor found its way to the floor after getting slashed off. Tch, this was why he made the so-called 'Gerbera System', fighting in melee was so much easier when he could tweak some of the laws of physics to his liking. Unfortunately they were already in a pocket dimension, and the device channeled some of Zeong's power to begin with, thus wouldn't work when he was Awake.

Bakunetsumaru quickly closed the distance between them again, starting another furious exchange of blows with the scientist. Gerbera was honestly doing better than he expected, but raw power could only do so much in the face of centuries worth of finely honed skill with a blade. In fact, Baku was keeping his own strength about even with the other mech's, so his sword skills were the only real edge he had. Honestly? That was more than enough, and it was about time he proved it.

Suddenly the samurai's blades were moving almost too quickly for Gerbera to follow, and while he managed to block some of it, most of the hail of cuts got through and shredded his armor. Adding insult to injury, another arcing slash was Baku's parting attack as he jumped away again, and this ended up slicing off the rest of the scientist's weapons.

Bakunetsumaru pointed the end of one sword at Gerbera now, making a demand. “You have been disarmed! Surrender!”

Gerbera backed off a bit further, growling faintly in defiance. Granted, he wasn't doing particularly well, but he still had plenty of fight left in him. “Bah, you've only damaged my armor--”

Damaged was right, but the professor hadn't quite realized just how damaged. Most of the sensors embedded within his Dark Axis disguise were either cutting out at random or not responding. This dulled a good bit of the pain he was in, but was also the first sign he was about to lose his extra armor. Gerbera designed it to break away in the event it took too much abuse, but to have that happen now...?

His false optic stopped functioning at that moment, so he couldn't even glance over and wonder how the other Dark Axis solders were going to react. There was never really a decently calm moment in baseline where the squad leaders got to see him as he truly was . . . the next few minutes might be very interesting indeed.

In the next instant, the sensor feeds from the disguise cut out completely, and it started dropping from his frame. The foot armor first, followed by what remained of his gauntlets, the chestpiece and extra thrusters on his shoulders, and then finally the helm split apart, his true optics flickering to life as it fell away.

Gerbera now stood there without anything obscuring his true self, a Gundam of Neotopian design similar to Captain, though he was a bit more streamlined due to more advanced materials. His primarily black and grey paint was a stark contrast to the blue and white adorning his brother across the room. Truth be told, he felt a bit more vulnerable this way, but dodging would be easier. “As I was saying, you've only damaged my armor. I still function perfectly fine!”

Bakunetsumaru might've tried saying something in response, but it was drowned out by the Dark Axis mechs in the background.

Shock and more than a little horror was the general reaction among the Zakos, a couple of them even fainting at the sight. Gerbera was already scary, this just made him scarier!

“H-He's a Gundam?! But that doesn't make any sense, Gundams are supposed to be the enemy! Why would he be trying to conquer the multiverse for the General if he's one of the 'good guys'?” If Grappler wasn't sitting down, he might've passed out along with those Zakos, though out of pure shock rather than fear. Honestly, Gerbera was probably the most vicious soldier in the Dark Axis, killed an untold amount of Gundams personally, and yet somehow was fine with that despite being one himself. It just wouldn't go through Grappler's processor.

Destroyer Dom was more confused than anything, and scratched at the side of his helm. “Uh, was the Professor a Gundam the whole time?”

If there weren't a few Zakos in the way, Grappler might've smacked the taller mech. “Of course he was a Gundam the whole time, Dom! How couldn't he be?”

At that, Dom just kind of shrugged. Most of his heavier weapons came from Gerbera, so the scientist being a Gundam didn't really factor in too much. “He gave me weapons, so that's fine. ”

Beside the two of them, Zapper Zaku was a bit more contemplative. He always had the weirdest feeling that Gerbera was somehow different from them all, but could never put a servo on the reason why. Certainly wasn't expecting it to be something like this, but it wasn't entirely a surprise. “Huh, explains a lot...”

* * *

 Back in the middle of the arena, Bakunetsumaru took that all in but ultimately ignored it. The terrible trio and the Zakos were Gerbera's problem to solve after this fight was finished. It wouldn't be too long now, given the scientist was entirely lacking weapons. “You might be functional, but you're still unarmed.”

Gerbera was staying focused on his opponent, but he definitely heard the reaction from the other Dark Axis mechs. He winced, though he made sure they didn't see it, and waited for the shouting to grow angrier or maybe even one of them deciding to attack him. But the noise didn't go much higher than the initial dull roar. He hazarded a glance behind him for a second, and there seemed to be more confusion than hostility among the other Axians. Unexpected, but he was imagining so much worse.

Right, he could deal with them later, for now there was still the duel.

Gerbera couldn't help but let out a laugh at the unsuspecting samurai. “Unarmed? My, you're only proving my point that Musha Gundams are scatterbrained...” With that said, the scientist took aim in Baku's general direction and unloaded a few rounds from the vulcans mounted to either side of his helm.

Two shots hit before Bakunetsumaru managed to leap out of the way, but once he landed he had to quickly sidestep to avoid getting nailed by another burst of fire. His optics narrowed. “All right, still armed, but you're gonna run out of ammo eventually.”

“True, but will your endurance hold out that long?” More vulcan fire punctuated Gerbera's question, driving Bakunetsumaru further away from him.

There was shouting from the Dark Axis portion of the spectators, specifically Grappler Gouf. “Boo! Just like a Gundam to bring ranged weapons to a sword fight!”

Zapper Zaku elbowed the blue mech beside him. “Hah, reminded of that time I had to save your ass from Captain, aren't you? Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if you were over there, and those were the only weapons you had left.”

Meanwhile the Daishogun watched the fight, idly toying with his war fan. A few seconds passed and he flipped it open, hiding a yawn behind it. Duels within his arena were anything goes, that was true, but the Musha Gundams he invited would typically stick to melee weapons. Bows and matchlock rifles were far too fiddly to use in close range.

Bakunetsumaru was certainly keeping to his preferred weapons. He focused some chi into the blades to set them alight, and then tried rushing down his opponent with a Tenkyo-ken.

The bold tactic was entirely too easy to read, though. Gerbera had to dash to avoid it, but avoid it he did. He dropped his targeting sight over his right optic and turned to counterattack, laying down a punishing line of fire that tore into Baku's rear plating. It was enough to make the samurai stumble for a second, but he managed to keep himself upright.

Again the wary circling began, each waiting for a mistake to capitalize on.

They were too focused on each other to notice the subtle movement off to the side: the Daishogun starting to wave his war fan around in a very specific pattern.

The audience noticed, and those who were present at the Ashuramaru duel braced themselves for what was likely to happen shortly. The tension in the air built up for a few moments, both between the fighters and with everyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Gerbera opened fire.

The Daishogun brought down his war fan against the side of his ship, the crack heard clearly over the gunfire... and then the whole world turned upside down.

Even the vulcan rounds still hanging in the air were affected, and soon enough they went streaking for the one who fired them. Gerbera had a split second to hit the dirt and just barely made it, the bullets screeching overhead then tearing into the far wall behind him.

The arena went right side up again as the effect of Tenchi Gaeshi faded. All eyes were on the Daishogun of Perfect Virtue now, who opened his fan and held it up, the kanji on the center facing forward. “While I do appreciate the art of improvisation, this is perhaps a step too far, Professor. If you still have the will to fight, I would prefer you use this instead.”

Before anyone could move or say anything else, the time traveling Musha Gundam soon held up a sword in his free hand, from either his Pocket or a hidden compartment aboard his ship. In the next instant he hurled it into the arena, where it landed point down in the dirt floor, less than a handful of inches away from Gerbera's face.

To his credit, the professor laid there wide-eyed for only a few seconds, then stood up to examine the blade. It was a katana, much like the ones Bakunetsumaru carried. Unlike those swords, this certainly wasn't a Sacred Blade, and it was utterly devoid of any fancy ornamentation. The hilt was wrapped in a black material, the guard was painted silver, fairly utilitarian as far as swords went. A quick scan told Gerbera it was made of gundanium, but that was the only thing that stood out.

Well, that and how finely made it was stood out, once Gerbera pulled it from the arena floor. He tested the balance, gave the katana a few experimental swings, and found it was almost perfectly suited to him. Maybe even forged specifically for him? He eyed the Daishogun with a questioning look and only got an amused smile back, likely confirming his theory. A few more test swings, then he eased himself into a ready stance again, eager to see what the sword was truly capable of.

“I see that blade meets your approval.” The Daishogun folded up the war fan once again, then brought it down, the sharp crack making some of the audience jump. “Very well then, the duel resumes!”

Bakunetsumaru dashed across the arena, crossing the distance and getting back in Gerbera's face again in the space of five seconds, locking blades with the black Gundam the moment he was close enough. “More like the duel truly begins!” He pushed forward with a growl, his opponent only giving up half a step of ground before standing firm. “This is all I really wanted for this fight... none of that fancy armor, none of your toys, just you with a proper sword in your hands. Now we can finally settle this in the ways of Ark.”

Gerbera stood his ground, having to keep his free hand against the flat of his blade to hold the samurai back. Standing there face to face with his enemy, only a length of gundanium separating them and having to put effort into keeping it that way... something about it felt so strangely _right_. He could feel his Soul Drive speeding up, the flame within intensifying. It didn't truly activate, but that warmth drove him to push forward, making Baku give up a few steps. “Settle this in the ways of Ark? That suits me just fine!”

He put more strength into it and broke the blade lock, then pursued Bakunetsumaru when he tried to get some breathing room.

* * *

 Zapper Zaku watched as the duel continued to stretch onward, wondering just how much longer the fighters could hold out. Duels were indeed a thing in the Dark Axis, fought to decide chains of command; he remembered his own with that bastard Solitary Gyan quite well. Though, generally those were to the death and never lasted quite this long. Both Bakunetsumaru and Gerbera were looking equally exhausted, at least to a layman's optic.

Zapper certainly wasn't a layman when it came to combat... he watched, taking note of the Professor's steadily worsening footwork, and grumbled under his breath; this wasn't good. Gerbera corrected the problem before Baku could really punish him for it, but it didn't bode well for his chances of winning.

This was probably going to end with the Musha Gundam as the victor, unless something was done. But what in the world could be done to help? It wasn't like Zapper could just jump in there with his heat hawk and help fight. (Said heat hawk was also in a weapons storage locker back in Neotopia...) There still had to be something, though, and the red mech surveyed the rest of the arena. It was the same weird Ark-inspired place it was the last time the Daishogun dragged him and some Zakos there...

On the opposite side of the arena, there was the Gundam Force, just like before. Captain, Shute, Zero, and the Princess were all over there cheering their comrade on, as was typical for them, but something made Zapper think about it a little more. His optic strayed over Captain and Shute again as he tried to think of anything that might be useful-- wait a minute, that was it! Captain and Gerbera looked weirdly similar, now that the latter was down to his true armor. What if their functionality was just as similar, considering they both had Soul Drives? True, they didn't have a token human on the Dark Axis side, but hell, his vocalizer worked just fine, didn't it?

This was stupid.

But if it was stupid and it worked, well...

Zapper waited for a moment when Gerbera wouldn't be distracted by what he was planning, and then... "Come on, Professor, you can do it! Kick that samurai moron's can in!"  
  
Grappler Gouf regarded his fellow squad leader rather quizzically. "... the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Trying to help. Look, Gerbera's a Gundam like that jerk over there, right?" Zapper gestured across the room with a thumb. "And you know what happens when the kid starts cheering. Dunno if their Soul Drives work the same but I figured, eh, worth a shot."  
  
"I'm not sure I want either of them to win..."  
  
Zapper wound up and actually punched Grappler in the shoulder for being so dumb. This was no time to get caught up on what type of robot their boss happened to be! "Oh, would you stop whining? So he's a Gundam, so what? That doesn't change a damned thing and you know it. He's still Dark Axis . . . he's still one of us."

A few seats further down, a smaller voice made itself known as one of the Zakos spoke up. “Yeah, what Lord Zapper said! He might be a scary guy, being a Gundam made him a little scarier, but he still repaired me that one time.” The Zako stood up on his seat, and cupped his hands around his mouthpiece before shouting, “Lord Gerbera, we Zakos believe in you!”

The rest of the Zakos started cheering too, as Zapper aimed a bit of a squint at the first one to cheer. Was that-- yeah, it was the same Zako he entrusted his guns to before his duel with Solitary Gyan! Of course the little guy would cheer for Gerbera, the scientist effectively brought him back to life.

All the noise certainly didn't go unnoticed by the two fighters, who were currently in yet another blade lock. Bakunetsumaru rolled his optics at it, while trying his best to push forward and counterattack. “Heh, looks like you have a fanclub over there. They're all robots, though; it's not gonna do anything--” He shut up when it suddenly became impossible to get any forward momentum.

"This started over insults, and you dare to belittle my subordinates?!" The force behind the words surprised even Gerbera himself. So did the sudden blazing heat from within his Soul Drive. As far as he knew, Baku should've been right, there shouldn't be anything happening . . . and yet somehow it was anyway.

Despite the questions flashing through his mind, he knew better than to focus on them, not with that burning power just begging to be used. The black Gundam answered its call, leaping backwards and out of the blade lock, then took a two-handed grip on his katana and put most of his weight into a nearly overhead slash.

Bakunetsumaru just barely got his swords back into a guard in time, half a second slower and Gerbera might've sliced him in half. But the heavy strike was only the first, again and again the scientist brought his blade down, the strength behind it not wavering in the slightest. Even though he was trying his best to dig in and stand his ground, Baku found himself slowly being pushed backwards, towards the edge of the arena.

This kept up until the samurai was a few steps away from falling over the edge, and with him so off balance, suddenly Gerbera's sword slashed at him from a different angle.

“GAH!” That was the first major howl of pain out of either of the fighters, but considering it was from getting impaled, no one could really blame Baku for it. He hissed and tried not to move too much, tried to suppress the urge to reach down to his left side and cover the wound with one hand. It took effort to speak but somehow he managed it. "Asshole . . . said this wasn't to the death..."  
  
"Missed your Gunsoul, didn't I?"  
  
"Hnngh, true..."  
  
Suddenly there was movement, the samurai practically a blur as he extracted himself from the end of Gerbera's blade and lashed out with his own two swords. Both katana tasted gundanium and struck deeply, one lodging itself through the scientist's stomach area, the other striking a bit higher up on his torso. Just as quickly, he pulled the blades loose and then backed off slightly, bringing them up into a ready stance. Despite the amount of pain he was still in, Bakunetsumaru sounded amused. "And I missed your Soul Drive..."

Gerbera staggered backwards from the pain, though every movement seemed to make it worse. He came very close to dropping to one knee, but steadied himself at the last second. It took him a moment but he leveled his sword at Bakunetsumaru again, waiting for the right moment to strike.  
  
Both combatants remained in that position, their optics locked in an intense stare, each almost daring the other to move first. Battered, panting, sparks flying from half of their deeper wounds and coolant leaking from the rest, the two of them still stood there.  
  
It was impossible to tell who moved first in the end, there was a sudden flashing of blades as they lunged for each other, both warriors with their back to the other after their clash. Baku and Gerbera each dropped to their knees a second later, but it would be the scientist that had his optics fade out before he collapsed in a heap. The samurai very nearly joined him, only discipline and Looper ability keeping him conscious.

Again the sharp crack of the Daishogun's war fan sounded across the arena, once it was obvious the battle had ended. “The contest is over. A fine showing once again, warrior of Ark.” With all eyes on him, he made his proclamation. “I declare Bakunetsumaru the victor.”

Soon enough, the scenery shifted from the Garden of Samurai Spirits and back to the Gundamusai's cargo hold. Returning to normal reality healed the two fighters' wounds, and Bakunetsumaru managed to get to his feet again, though he was a little wobbly from how much energy he'd burned. Gerbera remained sprawled on the floor, however, his optics still offline. At that the other Dark Axis soldiers got moving, with Zapper Zaku leading the charge to the professor's side.

“A little space would be nice!” With that barked at the Zakos, who backed off a bit, Zapper leaned down to check on his boss. “Well, I still hear his systems idling... that's a good sign. What do you think, Grappler, just a case of low charge?”

“Yeah, after all that it wouldn't be a surprise. We could do an energy transfer, but he's probably got a bigger battery than the three of us put together... no point in barely managing to wake him up and leaving the rest of us defenseless. Hmm, what to do?”

There were footsteps nearby, and they looked up to see Captain standing there, who held his hands up to show he was unarmed. He almost forgot he wasn't talking to other Loopers but managed to catch himself before saying anything. “If he's a Gundam from my world like I suspect, my charging station upstairs should be compatible. That would be a bit faster than just recharging on his own. Here, you'll need help carrying him, he looks heavy.”

It took them a few moments to figure out something workable, and it ended up with Captain and Destroyer Dom carrying Gerbera, while Zapper and Grappler retrieved his flight array. If anyone was paying attention, Captain looked down at his brother with more than a little pride as the group got moving.

With Captain helping Zapper and company with Gerbera, Bakunetsumaru was left standing there without much to do. Though, a flash of silver on the floor caught his optic as he glanced around. Gerbera's sword was lying there abandoned, the scientist dropped it once he passed out.

When it looked like no one else was going to retrieve it, he stepped forward and picked up the blade. The Daishogun was certainly waiting for him to do that, as the larger Musha beckoned him over once he had.

* * *

 An unfamiliar ceiling.

Certainly wasn't the first time Gerbera was treated to a view of one on waking up from one misfortune or another, and it wouldn't be the last. His internal clock chose that moment to helpfully notify him he was offline and recharging for hours. Would be nice if he could remember what happened, or why he sensed so many other energy signatures around him...

In a flash his memories of the duel returned; the odd behavior of his Soul Drive and the sudden burst of strength it gave him, impaling Bakunetsumaru and getting skewered himself, and then their final charge at each other. His headsup display getting drowned in damage warnings and low battery notifications was the last thing he remembered before shutting down.

The black Gundam sat up a bit more, to take a look around, and was granted another surprise. He was in Captain's quarters on the Gundamusai, he already realized that simply from how smoothly the charging station functioned, but he was expecting to wake up alone. Instead, a good handful of the Zakos were scattered around the room in sleep mode, and close by, Zapper Zaku sat on a stool at his 'bedside', also having drifted off.

Why were they all here--

It was almost too fuzzy to recall, but he woke briefly, earlier. He remembered whining in protest at being put down by whoever carried him in here, glancing around blearily without really seeing anything. Then there was someone patting his arm, and a gruff voice trying to sound soothing.

“ _You're all right, you lugnut, you're safe. Just go back to sleep; nothing else is gonna happen, I, uh, I promise.”_

It wasn't a great attempt, but it was enough. Gerbera couldn't recall waking again until just now. He swept his gaze over the sleeping mechs with wonder. Who knew they could be so loyal, and to him instead of Zeong? There was more to them than just their usefulness to the Dark Axis army, he always knew that deep down, but this was the first time he truly took notice.

Maybe his Soul Drive wasn't behaving oddly after all.

He could have settled in to resume his nap, the thought of staying put and indulging in feeling this safe and protected was so very tempting. His battery was reading 100 percent though, and there was no going back to sleep with so much to think about. Gerbera sighed to himself and moved to stand up, but then paused to pull a small notepad and a pen from his Pocket. He jotted something down on the first page, then tore it loose and left it where Zapper would see it, even as he thought of how unlike him it was to even bother.

With that done, he glanced around at his subordinates one more time, then made his way over to the door, being careful not to wake any of them.

The note left behind read:

>   
> Went for a walk, to decide on our next course of action.  
> \- Gerbera
> 
> P.S.: Thank you, Zapper.

* * *

Bakunetsumaru was a bit restless since the end of the duel and that talk with the Daishogun, so he was wandering around the Gundamusai almost at random. He had a plate of rice balls in hand, occasionally munching on one as he walked along. Eventually his wanderings took him to the ship's outer deck, though he wasn't really expecting to see anyone else out there.

But, not far from the airlock he ventured out of, the samurai would find Gerbera sitting near the base of one of the turret emplacements. The other Gundam seemed to be just relaxing and watching the Minov Sea go by. Even from a distance, though, Baku noted the expression in Gerbera's optics was very similar to the one Captain sometimes wore whenever he was lost in thought.

It could be hard to tell most of the time, but Captain and Gerbera really were brothers, weren't they?

Baku stepped closer, though he waited until he was sure the other Gundam at least heard his footsteps before speaking up. “Finally wake up, huh? For a while there we were wondering if you were going to outsleep Genkimaru.”

To his credit, Gerbera startled only slightly at the sudden voice nearby. “I was only at .05 percent charge by the end of that battle. I'm not sure my battery's ever been that low.”

At hearing that, Baku looked at the plate of rice balls he held. There were only a few left, but he grabbed one and offered it to the professor. “Sounds like you could use one of these too. Here, have one.”

There was a part of Gerbera that wanted to protest, he was still close to full charge after all, but he reached up and took it anyway. “I imagine if I didn't take this, I would be breaking some other Musha custom? I've had quite enough of the consequences of that for one day.” He considered the rice ball in his hand for a second, then took a bite out of the top corner.

“Hmm, that _would_ be rude, but not really duel worthy. Though, Shute's mother would have the right to challenge you in this case; she made the rice balls.” Since conversation seemed to be the order of the hour, Baku sat down next to Gerbera, it was less awkward than just standing there. “Making Keiko angry is a bad idea no matter what. She gets that disappointed tone in her voice, then all of a sudden she has you doing chores, or even worse, _homework_. My eyes still cross when I think of all that math...”

That actually got a chuckle out of Gerbera, as he thought back on his own brushes with Keiko's fury. “She likely knew I would actually enjoy the homework, so I ended up with chores the few times she caught me stepping out of line.”

The samurai tilted his head quizzically at the words, before rolling those brown optics of his and letting out a faint snort. “It's official, you're just as weird as Captain. He likes helping Shute with his homework!”

“Weird, am I?” Having said that, the scientist seemed lost in thought again for a moment, then voiced his confusion. “Do you know what else is 'weird'? Just, this talk we're having. We were dueling a few hours ago, a rather heated duel I might add, and yet here you are walking right up to me and starting a casual conversation. Is this another Musha Gundam quirk I was unaware of?”

Bakunetsumaru took a second to finish off his current rice ball, then tried to explain.“You heard what the Daishogun said earlier, right? We live in the moment. You ran your mouth, I kicked your ass, and that's the end of it. That's why we can use duels to settle so many things. We take our frustrations out on each other in the arena, but no matter who wins, it doesn't _leave_ the arena.” He paused a second and sighed, looking out towards the glowing wall of the Minov Sea facing that side of the ship. “Or at least that's how it's supposed to work; Kujakumaru couldn't understand why I spared him, so he kept his grudge to the end.”

Gerbera stared out into the Minov Sea himself, his optics somewhat distant as he thought. He turned towards Baku again once he made up his mind. “That does make a certain amount of sense. Well, I suppose I can take a page from your book in this case... let that duel be where any grudges between us end. Although I wouldn't mind a rematch eventually, after I've grown a bit stronger...”

“That's good! Great, even, since I have one more thing to ask you about.” At that, Bakunetsumaru reached into his Pocket and pulled out the katana Gerbera was using for the latter half of the duel. It had a sheath now, toned black to match the Professor's base armor. Baku held it out to him. “You dropped this earlier. During the battle you used it well enough, but how would you like proper sword training?”

The black Gundam took hold of the blade, studying the sheath. “I'm programmed to know how to use a beam saber, and I was falling back on that, but a physical blade is quite different. You're truly willing to teach me?”

“Of course! Master Asia and Domon both told me that a true warrior should take up students when he feels ready for the responsibility--” Baku blinked, then laughed a bit in embarrassment and rubbed at the back of his helm. “Oh, I forgot, you probably haven't met them yet. They're fighters from the Future Century Branch, you'll run into them eventually. So, what do you think? If nothing else, it'll be a useful skill to have during null loops in places like Ark.”

Again Gerbera considered what to say, though it didn't take him long to decide. Learning something new would always win out with him. “I accept your offer, Bakunetsumaru... but I hope you can handle me as your student; I'm a very quick study.”

“Well, we'll see about that...” Baku trailed off, as an odd sound began to echo through the Minov Sea. It sounded like... a set of horses at full gallop? “Wait a minute, do you hear hoofbeats? Entengo's back in Neotopia so that's not him...”

Gerbera stood up, listening carefully. “Yes, I hear it too. But why would there be anything like that out here--” Then he suddenly startled, and searched the 'sky' above them with his optics. “Tch, we forgot about Kibaomaru! The General likely sent him to retrieve me, since I didn't broadcast a recall signal when I would have in Baseline.”

“Heh, I have a student now, and I get to fight Kibaomaru too? This day just keeps getting better!” Bakunetsumaru searched the endless 'sky' himself and laughed a bit more when he spotted the warlord's chariot Oshogo far in the distance. “Well then, your first lesson is to watch your master at work, help out when you can, and to avoid getting blasted off the side of the ship!”

The Professor couldn't help but curse under his breath, but did as he was told. He attached his sheathed sword to a hardpoint on his left hip, then pulled the blade free.

Oshogo galloped ever closer, and once it had conveyed Kibaomaru into striking range, the battle was on!

But that's a tale for another day...

 


	4. Scientific Curiosity (SD Gundam Force/Lyrical Nanoha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a later Loop, this being a Fused Loop, where characters from one world can replace those from another. Here, Gerbera gets to replace one Yuuno Scrya, from the Lyrical Nanoha franchise.
> 
> He'll be coming back here again later, but as someone a bit more fitting to his role in his own Baseline...

Nanoha still wasn't quite sure what to make of this Loop's replacement for Yuuno. Professor Gerbera seemed friendly enough, though he hadn't reacted well to Waking while in ferret form. On getting him calmed down enough to change to human form, it turned out he looked exactly like Yuuno, except for having bright blue eyes instead of green. He wasn't particularly enthused about that form either, but as a fairly new Looper there wasn't much he could do about it.  
  
The Ace of Aces had a feeling Gerbera didn't completely trust her and Fate, simply because they were human, though since they were Loopers he was at least trying to keep it to himself. Things got a bit better when they explained how Mid-Childan and Belkan magic worked...  
  
“So, from my loop memories and what you've just told me, magic is an actual science here? To the point where the better you are at mathematics, the better you are at casting, and there's an entire civilization running on magitech?” Gerbera was practically vibrating with excitement. “This will be very useful in my home loop, I want to learn all I can! Will you teach me?”  
  
Nanoha hadn't seen that sort of eagerness to learn in quite some time, so she couldn't help but agree. “Well, we took care of the Jewel Seeds and the Book of Darkness already, so we've got lots of free time for a new student. How about we start tomorrow?”  
  
“Yes, that sounds adequate. We did take care of quite a bit today, even if I wasn't much of a help.”  
  
\----------------------------------  
  
It was a week or so later, and the three of them were hanging out at the Midori-ya Cafe. Fate and Nanoha were alternately taking care of homework and going over the finer points of barrier jackets with their guest.  
  
“So, I'm a mechanical lifeform in my native loop; a mobile citizen...” Having said that, Gerbera sketched out a picture of his true form for them in the corner of his notes.  
  
There was something of a squee from Nanoha. “Awww, you're an SD Gundam! That's so cute!”  
  
Beside her, Fate was snickering faintly as it seemed Gerbera was just as prone to the luminescent blush as Yuuno was.  
  
It took him a moment to return to a non-red color, but once he did, Gerbera cleared his throat and continued. Another sketch joined the first, this one of himself with the monoeyed armor that made him look more like a Zeon unit. “I have a set of armor I can wear on top of my existing paneling, but it's heavy, and I can't put it on without assistance. But if I can make a barrier jacket version of it...”  
  
Nanoha looked over the latest sketch, not finding it nearly as adorable. “That one's not as cute... but yeah, I can see where you're going with this. You'll be able to switch back and forth with a thought, and not be weighed down as much either. Oooh, you could even make it layered like Fate's is for a speed boost!”  
  
“I think I prefer your shooting spells as opposed to any of the Strike Arts, so I'll be staying out of close quarters combat, but that's not a bad idea...”  
  
\-------------------------  
  
The rest of the loop went at about that pace: in between saving the world, the two mages taught Gerbera more magic. He did end up taking the Infinity Library job like Yuuno usually did, so he was generally out of the crossfire during the JS Incident, aside from the raid on Hotel Augusta.  
  
There was a somewhat odd comment he made, while he was looking up what little info the TSAB had on the Saint's Cradle, though. Gerbera glanced over the schematic he found, very much lost in thought. “Hmm, a ship as powerful as that . . . that could be very useful indeed.”  
  
He got back on task after a moment, again focused on helping Riot Force Six find any weak points in the massive ship's defenses. Nanoha dismissed it as your typical 'Looper discovers new shiny they want to try Pocketing eventually' and let it go, as there were far more important things to worry about at the time.  
  
Other than that, it was a fairly pleasant near-baseline run.


	5. Ninja Infestation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Yggdrasil is broken. Occasionally that means other weird shit happens along with time looping to infinity. For this round, our boys get to deal with lots and lots of hostile ninjas...
> 
> Hey, tree's broken; it doesn't always have to make sense~

"It's bad enough we have Cobra Ninjas, but at least they're on our side. Where are these fools coming from?" Gerbera tilted his head just enough to avoid having a shuriken bounce off the exposed parts of his v-fin, then launched one of his gauntlets in the direction it came from. There was a scream when the drill bits and cutters on the end of the flying weapon tore into the unfortunate ninja in the distance, quickly followed by a death rattle.

"Dunno, Professor, but it looks like the Gundams are having the same problems we are." Grappler Gouf was dueling another ninja near one of the Magna-Musai's consoles, which was displaying a spy camera feed from Neotopia. Sure enough, there were ninjas causing trouble all over Neotopia City as well.

"My, if we went over there and, ahaha, 'removed' them all, I would have all the organic test subjects I could ever want. What do you think about being a 'hero', Grappler?"

\-----------

Captain Gundam could appreciate one thing about this crazy variant, fighting all these ninjas was actually easier than facing off against the Dark Axis. Granted, his brother usually made things a bit less traumatic for everyone lately, but that was only when he was Awake.

He'd gotten two reply Pings earlier, maybe that meant Madnug would show up and help out, but he would have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Shute was Awake for this run, and was helping out as best he could. As a fairly new Looper, that was mostly his usual cheering Captain on to power up the Soul Drive, and generally being annoying to the ninjas, but he managed to take out a few by himself. Shortly after catching a ninja with a glue trap, the boy looked up at the familiar sound of time and space bending to note an enormous dimensional gate forming in the sky.

"Uh, Captain? Either that's more ninjas or the Dark Axis is invading early..."

Captain looked up as well, to see the forming space-time anomaly quickly take the shape of the Zakorello Gate (with the usual call of 'RELLO'). The Magna-Musai slowly emerged from the opposite side. It certainly looked like an early invasion... soon there was the roar of several sets of thrusters launching from said ship. The Gundam pulled his targeting sight over his right optic, zooming in to spot Zapper, Grappler, and Dom flying down, as well as the enormous shape of Commander Sazabi.

Oh yes, this was going to be _bad_.

Well, that was Captain's thought until the shortly ensuing hail of gun and beam fire from the Dark Axis mechs focused entirely on the invading ninjas.

Soon enough a new voice made itself known as Madnug, or rather, Gerbera as he was still disguised, flew down from the Musai to trail after the much larger Commander. "Sazabi, at least try to catch a few as opposed to vaporizing them, would you? I need more guinea pigs!" After a moment of making sure his subordinates were still focused on the ninjas, he came in for a landing close to his brother. "Hello, Captain; good to see you're doing well enough against these fools. But with the loop this derailed already, I thought I would provide some assistance."

"I would comment on how I feel about your experimenting on organics, but given who you have deployed right now I doubt you'll be getting any live ninjas..."

"Hmm, yes, one of the downsides of having Dom and Sazabi along, but they wouldn't stay on the Fortress when there are this many targets to shoot."


	6. Weiss Schnee's Vacation (RWBY/SD Gundam Force)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one needs a bit of backstory. There's a thread for RWBY in the Infinite Loops, and those writers did a huge story in which Cinder Fall tried to Ascend to the level of the Admins/destroy her home loop, though it wasn't entirely her choice. She failed, and this chapter takes place during the recovery from that mess . . . 
> 
> One Weiss Schnee ends up replacing Destroyer Dom, just in time for Gerbera to make his first attempt at an early vacation loop.
> 
> Also, a new term:  
> MLE: Short for Malevolent/Malignant Looping Entity, this title's given out by the Admins to those Loopers who seek to damage Yggdrasil intentionally. (Gerbera would've probably gotten this title, if not for the specific circumstances he Awoke to.)

Weiss Schnee Woke to this latest Loop, and almost immediately wished she hadn't, once she looked down at herself. At seeing the somewhat familiar set of clunky white robot arms, she groaned inwardly. Ugh, this again?  
  
On a second glance, it seemed that while she Looped in as something similar to the Rick Dom otherwise known as 'Schnee Weiss', this particular version was a good bit less clunky than the original. Also a whole lot smaller too, there didn't seem to be room for a pilot, and judging by perspective she was actually fairly close to her normal height.  
  
There were other, smaller monoeyed robots milling about in the area. A veritable horde of tiny drab green ones... what were they called again, Zakus? Or maybe they called themselves 'Zakos', considering she heard a few of them saying that very word.  
  
And, there were the loop memories, finally. Right, she was Weiss Schnee Dom, the brick red unit with the machine guns next to her was Zapper Zaku, and the blue one with the scarred helm and the claw arm was Grappler Gouf. Those two were her fellow squad leaders, and the three of them were about to go invade a 'Neotopia' with their horde of Zako soldiers.  
  
Hmm, this place was likely related to that earlier Gundam loop she was in, though this specific sub-branch wasn't familiar. Whatever Baseline it was, she was just going to help the locals power through it so she could return to Remnant. There was still entirely too much work to be done back home...  
  
Weiss briefly considered Stealthing for the loop, just to make sure things went faster. Unfortunately, judging from the squint she was getting from Grappler Gouf, it was certainly too late for that.  
  
“Hey, uh, Weiss? You look like you're feeling a bit Loopier than usual. Maybe I should take you to see the Professor?” Grappler's optic flashed really brightly as he spoke the word 'loopier', the Ping at the same moment only accentuating it more.  
  
Definitely too late for Stealthing, and as for this Professor-- oh, _those_ weren't nice memories, but Grappler seemed to imply it was safe to go see him. Hopefully Professor Gerbera was a bit less likely to perform surprise upgrades on hapless mechs when he was Awake. Though that begged the question of why someone like that was Awake to begin with... some of those memories of him almost reminded her of Salem.  
  
Then again, Weiss knew from experience there could be quite a divide between a Looper and their Unawake self. Having decided to play along for the moment, she Pinged back as she spoke up. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I should probably have him calibrate my funnels again.”  
  
Zapper Zaku looked at them both with his head askance for a second, but in the end he just snorted. “Pfft, whatever! Just don't take too long or we're not going to leave you anything to shoot.”

* * *

“So, Weiss Schnee. From the Remnant branch, if I am not mistaken?”  
  
“Yes, that's right.”  
  
From how imposing he seemed in the loop memories, Weiss was honestly expecting Gerbera to be taller. Well, he was taller than her, but only by about an inch. He looked like nearly any of the other Dark Axis robots, with a single searching red optic, though the amount of gold edging his pink armor spoke that his rank and power were much higher than any of the others. On giving said armor a bit more scrutiny, the heiress noticed something odd. From the way Gerbera held himself to how his armor sat against him, he was wearing it as opposed to it being part of him.  
  
Awake, the scientist was far less imposing, though currently a bit too guarded to be considered friendly. Gerbera looked her up and down with that searching optic, then glanced to his subordinate. “Hmm, what do you think? I know I said we would have to wait a while longer before attempting an early vacation loop, but she is certainly strong enough to provide the edge we need.”  
  
“You'd be a better judge of that, Professor; you've been doing this Looping thing longer. I'd be happier about it if we had the Commander too, but he's not Awake yet. I think we can cover you, but if that 'Breaker' thing of yours doesn't work...” Grappler Gouf pointed his claw arm at Gerbera in a bit of a threat display. He was every bit as eager to break from Baseline early, but didn't fancy the idea of what would happen if they managed to screw up somehow.  
  
“It will work, all I need is enough time to cast it.”  
  
Suddenly feeling rather ignored, Weiss spoke up, not liking the direction things seemed to be going. “A vacation loop? Wouldn't it be faster to just run through Baseline? This is a decent enough world, I suppose, but I would like to return to mine as soon as I can.”  
  
Gerbera just stared at her out of the corner of his optic, the way a hawk might when sizing up some prey to be devoured. “So, do you like the story your loop memories have told you? We are the Dark Axis, we are the wolves lurking just outside the gates to the heroes' realms. Lacroa has already fallen, I doubt you would want to take part in any further destruction. Besides that, there is another reason I am unwilling to subject you to this world's Baseline. If we survive this, I may even be convinced to tell you what it is.”  
  
Being a far older Looper, the Huntress wasn't intimidated in the slightest, but she had to admit he knew how to make a point. “All right, we'll try this your way.” After a moment, she pulled a copy of Myrtenaster from her Pocket and saluted him with it. “Just point me in the direction of your target, if that will put an end to this war.”  
  
That predatory gaze eased off a bit, the scientist even relaxing his guard just a hair. It was hard to tell from his optic, but Gerbera sounded like he might be smiling. “Good choice. Now, we'll have to go clean up a few places after we're done here to ensure our vacation, but this will be the hardest task by far. Our target, is General Zeong."

* * *

General Zeong was an immobile target, mounted into the far wall of the cavernous central chamber of the Dark Axis Fortress. That was the easy part. The hard part quickly became apparent the moment the trio entered the room and the huge machine in the distance likely picked up on their killing intent. With a dull rumble, Zeong's guardian units hovered into view, a giant set of mechanical hands with an optic roving around a rail on either palm. Each gigantic finger was able to fire off a staggeringly powerful particle beam, that could bounce around the room if it hit the reflectors set into the walls.  
  
Before that could happen, Gerbera opened the battle with a blast from his own beam rifle that may or may not have been a spell of some sort, stunning the hands just long enough for the other two warriors to get in range.  
  
Despite being more comfortable on the ground, using the thruster pack he was fitted with, Grappler Gouf lunged for the hand on the right. His initial claw strike easily lopped off one of the fingers, and tore into the one next to it enough for it to cease functioning as well.  
  
Weiss took the hand on the left, releasing some ice Dust onto her rapier and quickly sketching out a handful of glyphs, sending a hail of wickedly sharp icicles flying downrange. This first volley did a decent amount of damage, piercing the hand's armor all over, but it would take some larger ice lances to hopefully pin it to one of the walls. She got to work on the glyphs for that, the thrusters in her feet allowing her to easily dodge any return fire.  
  
Once the main threats looked to be sufficiently distracted, Gerbera's thrusters roared to life and he rose into the air, eventually settling on a spot high above the fighting below. A magic circle appeared in the air close by and he landed on it, turning off his flight systems as he would need all the power he had for what he was about to cast. Another smaller magic array appeared in front of him, this one angled down towards the currently helpless General below. “I summon the light of destruction, to rain down upon my enemy...”  
  
Weiss heard the chant and managed not to jolt, keeping focused on her own casting despite what was about to be unleashed. Her latest set of glyphs sent four huge ice lances flying at the giant hand she was fighting, these managing to pin it to the wall quite securely.  
  
“Stars, gather, and become the light which pierces all...” There was a sizable sphere of energy in front of Gerbera now, steadily growing as the seconds passed. With the loose Dust and being on a world where mana was real, the spell had all the fuel it would need within easy reach. It wouldn't be long now...  
  
With the second line, the Huntress definitely recognized the spell. Starlight Breaker, and though it was altered a bit to his tastes, Gerbera was using the full aria. No wonder he needed assistance, the spell was ridiculously powerful but the cast time meant someone else would have to deal with any distractions for him.  
  
“Tear through my foe in a blinding blaze...” The sphere of light was almost bigger than Zeong himself at that point, and bright enough to be painful to look at directly.  
  
At the last second, Weiss cast another ice lance at Zeong's remaining hand, pinning it to the other wall. She soared to pull Grappler out of range of the incoming blast.  
  
Gerbera raised his beam rifle, much like the White Devil who created the spell would raise her own weapon, and poised to strike. “Starlight... BREAKER!” He slashed at the sphere of energy with a downward slice, sending all the gathered power streaming at his enemy.  
  
The resultant beam could likely be seen from orbit, once it broke through the fortress wall...

* * *

It couldn't have been much more than two weeks after Zeong's destruction. Thankfully, as the other Dark Axis units would follow the strongest among them, Gerbera pretty much got his rank bumped to General when the rest of them discovered he wrecked their former boss. From there, it was simple enough to redirect the army back to Lacroa to clean up the mess they left behind and restore the kingdom.  
  
Weiss had slain Deathscythe herself, after hearing his plans for Princess Rele. (“It's bad enough she's had her whole life planned out for her, you don't get to decide who she marries!”)  
  
Dealing with Ark was even easier, with Gerbera simply recalling the Zako Bushi soldiers he loaned to Kibaomaru. Without the extra troops holding up his armies, the warlord's attempt to unify Ark under his own banner collapsed like a house of cards.  
  
After that, they made their way to Neotopia, where they'd been ever since. The SDG was rather nonplussed to suddenly have several powerful Musai starships in their airspace, but after some quick negotiations any tensions were settled. Neotopia City honestly didn't take up much of the planet in the grand scheme of things, so the Dark Axis laid claim to some open land nearby.  
  
At the moment, the Magna Musai was parked next to a beach, its crew all out having fun or otherwise engaged in shenanigans. As for Gerbera, he was lying on a lounge chair, sunning himself.  
  
“Now isn't this nice? We've destroyed everything that was actually worth killing, and have the rest of the loop to do whatever we please. Up to and including lazing about on this lovely beach.” Gerbera let out a contented sigh, actually yawning a bit a moment later. “Neotopia's sun always seems so much warmer than the one Sol Diorama orbits...”  
  
Weiss was in another lounge chair beside him, sitting upright and with a book entitled 'Warp Gate Technology' in her lap.. She'd since switched the Rick Dom frame for something closer to her true form. Nearly all of Team RWBY had ended up replacing Penny at some point, so they all had an android form to use if they wanted. She couldn't seem to stay focused on her book, though, instead staring out at the ocean. “Hmm? Oh, right, if you say so...”  
  
Knowing that distant tone of voice, Gerbera glanced over at her. “Thinking of home again? The loop will end at Yggdrasil's whim, no sooner or later. And considering the Tree sent you here instead of another round through Remnant, I think even it wants you to take some time for yourself.”  
  
“After what happened, there's so much to take care of, though. Things are improving, but everyone still has a long way to go otherwise.”  
  
At that, Gerbera sat upright, facing Weiss as opposed to looking at her over the corner of his optic. “All of that will still have to wait until you're actually on Remnant again. I admit, I am far newer at Looping than you are, but I've found myself taking up a role similar to the one you probably have. I tend to Wake early, so I watch out for the others when I can, I try to make things easier on them. But the Tree doesn't always Wake me early, or it sends me to another loop entirely. As much as I would rather the others did not have to face my Unawake self, there is nothing I can do about it. I do worry, of course I do, but it helps me to try to remember Baseline . . . even after the worst the General and I could throw at them, my Anchor and the others still survived it.”  
  
The heiress considered his words. “I suppose you have a point. Ruby and the others are strong, and they're keeping a close eye on each other currently. And they'll have Unawake me at least, or a replacement that fits my role, that's better than nothing. Maybe they'll get really lucky and end up with Obi Wan... we do replace each other a lot, come to think of it.”  
  
“Ah, that Kenobi fellow? I've met him a few times, he would make a strong support for any Anchor, just as you would.” Gerbera would have continued, if not for the sound of thrusters high above them. Catching a familiar resonance bouncing off his sensor grid, he looked around for the source. “Speaking of Anchors . . . Captain, over here!”  
  
The roar of thrusters got louder, at least until their owner came in for a landing nearby. Weiss recognized the robot from the earlier negotiations with the SDG, he was in the background and was introduced as Captain Gundam. He was the main thing Chief Haro threatened them with, to be honest, but what she remembered most of that impromptu meeting was the questioning look Captain gave Gerbera over the comm channel.  
  
That look was back, now, as the Gundam approached. “You're still wearing that?”  
  
“I wanted to wait until everything was settled, and I was sure you were Awake before revealing the truth. The usual unpleasantness when either of us aren't Awake might have reminded our guest here of her own loop's issues of late; I wanted to avoid that if I could.” Gerbera got up, to stand beside the other mech.  
  
Captain couldn't help but wince for a second. “Good idea... that's easily the part of Baseline that I hate the most too.”  
  
Now, Gerbera looked to Weiss again. “Do you remember when I outright refused to let you run through our Baseline? Well, this is part of the reason for that...” He trailed off, and with a snap of his fingers, all of the pink armor that marked him as a Dark Axis machine vanished in a flash of light.  
  
Was he wearing it as a Mid-Childan style barrier jacket the entire time? Well, he did use Starlight Breaker during the battle with Zeong, and probably a Divine Buster as his opening salvo.  
  
When the light faded, it turned out that Gerbera was a Gundam as well, though taller than the one he stood beside and painted in darker colors. His primarily black armor stood in stark contrast to Captain's white and blue paneling, the dull gold detailing making the scientist seem a bit more formally 'dressed' than the other robot. His optics were blue, though a lighter shade than Captain's. “I'm a bit more streamlined than he is, but there's still a certain resemblance...”  
  
Weiss put her book aside and stepped closer to get a better look at the two of them. “You're both Gundams... probably from the same design base. Maybe even the same series?”  
  
It was only after Gerbera took advantage of their closeness to drape one arm across Captain's shoulders that an old memory stirred to the forefront of Weiss's thoughts. It was during a vacation loop in Remnant, Ruby had randomly started taking selfies with everyone that was Awake at the time. When she got to Cinder, it ended up with the taller sister having to hold the camera, and they took nearly the same pose that Captain and Gerbera were in.  
  
And then Captain seemed to smirk a bit and leaned in closer to the taller mech, then it was the very same pose Ruby and Cinder had in the resultant selfie so long ago.  
  
Weiss let out a faint gasp, as the pieces clicked in her mind. “Y-you two are brothers . . . and if we actually went through with invading this place...”  
  
There was a nod from the black Gundam. “Yes, if Captain wasn't Awake, if I wasn't, we would have ended up fighting each other. Just like Ruby and Cinder would, in your Baseline. After all that I heard, I didn't want to remind you of that.”  
  
“What have you heard, exactly?”  
  
Gerbera glanced down at Captain, hanging onto him a little tighter for a second before facing Weiss again. “At one point we asked our Admin, if there were any others that were only able to be siblings because of the Loops. Ruby and Cinder were the first pair he brought up. That's probably why he pulled us aside recently, to tell us about what happened on Remnant.”  
  
It was a bit too easy for Weiss to just fall into her counseling mode here, but it felt like he had something to say, something he thought was important. The problem was coaxing it out of him, past the reluctance. “And how do you two feel about that?”  
  
Captain replied first, just managing it before Gerbera could say anything else. “It was unfortunate. Maybe if you had our Admin or someone like him, things wouldn't have gone quite so far.”  
  
As for Gerbera, he aimed a squint in the heiress's direction. “I know what you're trying to do, Weiss; stop that. This is a vacation loop now, you shouldn't be taking up more work on the side.”  
  
Weiss couldn't help but smile a bit mischievously at him. “Well, you did look like you wanted to tell me something. I want to know as a friend, that's all. It will probably make you feel better, and after that, I promise I'll try to focus more on actually vacationing.”  
  
“As a friend is a bit different; very well. I'll hold you to that promise, though.” At that, the black Gundam pulled away from his brother, though he stayed standing where he was. “How I feel about all of that? Cinder... she's not an MLE. If she is, then I am certainly deserving of that label as well, for my actions during Baseline. I was manipulated and controlled by the General, driven to think the best thing to be done for the universe was to put it out of its misery. The Gerbera from your loop memories, I was that person for a very long time, all the way to the end of my life. Then, I eventually Woke to the Loops...”  
  
Gerbera fidgeted in place, not entirely sure what to do with himself. His hand strayed to brush against Captain's, the older Gundam almost instantly taking hold of it to offer some support. “I was free, but still bore the scars of that first life. I likely won't ever be the same as I was before the Dark Axis, but over time and with help from our Admin, Captain here, and everyone else, I am far more stable than I thought I could be during that first loop. If there's hope for someone like me, hope that Captain and I could truly consider ourselves family, then there's hope for Cinder as well.”  
  
“You've been wanting to tell me that ever since you figured out I was from Remnant, haven't you? It speaks well of your progress, that you were able to be this considerate. As for Cinder...” Weiss let out a sigh, not exactly sure where to start. “Well, it's complicated, you know from your own case that it'll be complicated for a while . . . but she's doing a lot better than she was right after the incident. I still need to talk with her, but I'm leaning the same way you are, that she won't be a danger. Hopefully she'll be fully cleared by the time her quarantine ends.”  
  
“I'm glad to hear it.”  
  
As the serious discussion seemed to be at an end, Captain looked back and forth between the other two, then nodded to himself before speaking up. “After all of that, I think we need a trip to Sayla's.”  
  
That was probably the best thing he could have suggested, as Gerbera perked right up at the thought. “That's a good idea! My stockpile is getting a little low, I've been looping elsewhere for too long...”  
  
Being the non-native that she was, Weiss just had to ask, “Who's Sayla?”  
  
“Oh, she just runs the best bakery in Neotopia, perhaps even the best in the entire Gundam Branch. I've had a few sweets from Equestria, but her cakes are just as good.” Gerbera paused for a moment, referencing his internal map of Neotopia. “It's not far from here if we fly... come on, follow us!”  
  
Both Gundams engaged their flight systems shortly afterward, Captain taking off first, with his brother close behind. Weiss's current shell needed a few more seconds to deploy her own flight systems, and while she waited, she idly wondered if a vote for Cinder for someone outside their branch would count.  
  
But, since she did promise, she put that thought to the back of her mind and flew after the two brothers. It would be hard to stay focused on vacationing until the end of the loop, but for them, and for her own sake, she would try.


	7. Skynet is for Pr0n (Terminator/SD Gundam Force)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skynet is the Anchor of her loop, reformed much like Gerbera was. Though for this run, she Wakes after the fall of humanity, and discovers one very interesting guest Looper.
> 
> Interesting enough to get her feeling a bit _randy_...
> 
> (Robot porn ahead, if the title didn't make it obvious enough already)

(Terminator/SD Gundam Force) – Skynet is for Pr0n

Gerbera should have kept flying. He _really_ should have just kept flying. In a loop like this one, survival took first priority over his scientific curiosity. But oh no, he just had to go in for a closer look at the strange silver puddle he found near the ruins of an old research lab.

“A mimetic polyalloy... how fascinating!”

It got considerably less fascinating a minute later, as while he scanned it, the puddle suddenly reared up and took the rough form of a humanoid female. It seemed to study the Gundam who was studying it for a moment, and then it lunged at him, silvery tendrils spidering around his thruster pack. The scientist jettisoned it in a panic and tore off running into the half-collapsed lab ahead of him, having no desire to be devoured or subverted.

For her part, Skynet simply Pocketed the discarded flight array, and sent her current T-1000 avatar slithering after him. Yes, it had been quite some time she Looped alongside such interesting prey. In this world where she had unfortunately not Awoken in time to stop the end, to live as an unaffiliated robot for so long, avoiding the Resistance and her own drones alike... that required an incredible strength of will. She would very much like to have a taste of it, if she could.

* * *

The chase continued within the labs, which still seemed to be in perfect condition despite the building's exterior. This was one of Skynet's own facilities, so she kept the ruined outer facade to discourage any looting. There really wasn't any chance of her prey escaping, once she chased him in here; that was the entire point of her lying in wait close by.

Back to the chase, Skynet kept following Gerbera, sometimes accessing the building's systems to close doors in his face, other times slithering out of a floor vent to keep him running. She wasn't trying all that hard to frighten him, but she wasn't about to let him be complacent, either. She brought up the floor map of the immediate area in her mind and mentally smirked. Ah, she could properly corner him up ahead...

* * *

It was absolute folly to run in here, Gerbera knew that now, but there wasn't much he could do about it. This place certainly belonged to the local mad AI, and she was likely chasing him to boot.

It was almost a relief when he took a wrong turn into a small storage room, only to have the door suddenly slide closed and lock behind him; it meant the chase was over. He leaned against it, letting out a sigh at his usual bad luck, and waited to meet his fate, whatever it might be.

Soon enough, there was a pooling of silver at his feet, tendrils rising up from it to bind his legs, and pin his wrists to the door he leaned against. The polyalloy that ever so slowly wrapped itself around him felt strangely warm. He might've squirmed, if it hadn't been so long since he felt the warmth of anyone's touch at all. Probably not since last loop, and he was stuck in this one for years now. It was sort of nice being held like this, even if he expected to die in the next few minutes.

The liquid metal eventually shifted to the feminine form it held earlier, while still keeping Gerbera bound in place. She reached to his helm and forced it open. Now that his face was properly exposed, a faint laugh emerged from Skynet, and then she leaned forward to steal a kiss.

His optics shot open wide at that, disbelieving. She didn't want to kill him? The expression turned a little more 'deer in headlights' as what she _did_ want started to filter in, given how passionate that kiss was getting. B-but he'd never done anything like this before, no one ever asked, and it never really crossed his mind, and--

A tendril tracing its way along his back snapped Gerbera out of his sudden panic. Regardless of experience or lack thereof, that felt better than it had any right to. If a simple trailing touch could feel so good, what else would Skynet have in store for him?

At once he kissed her back, accepting her offer in earnest.

Curiosity got him into this, it might as well get him back out again...

* * *

With permission granted, the touches really got started. Featherlight at first, Skynet's tendrils roving all over Gerbera to test the waters. Trailing along his legs didn't get much reaction, though it seemed to help him relax a bit more. Tracing lazy circles up his sides and back was a bit better, a pleasured sigh escaping from him. The touches there grew firmer, more like caresses, and the sighs got a bit louder.

She wasn't about to let him stand there and be passive about it, either. Again she moved in for a kiss, making sure all his attention was on her.

Even though neither of them needed air, Skynet pulled away from the kiss after a while, leaving Gerbera wondering what she was up to. He jolted in his binds when he felt her nibble at the base of his neck... it was a fragile area, but the amount of sensors there--

She started making her way upwards, each flutter of her lips against him sending a new pulse of fire down his sensor relays. A playful bite or two pulled a few gasps out of her partner, and by the time she started down the other side he was actively moaning.

He was almost a bit too lost in the haze of pleasure to realize she pulled away again. Once he did, he fought a bit with the tendrils that held him fast, letting out a few faint whimpers when he couldn't reach her.

Skynet didn't leave him hanging for long, resuming her touches but keeping the main portion of herself out of reach. “You've been very lonely this Loop, haven't you? Don't worry, you won't be alone again, now that I've found you...”

She kept up her ministrations for a short while, just long enough to have him on the edge of overload, and it was there that she snaked a tendril into a data port she found earlier.

The connection established and Gerbera nearly hit the sky right there, but by some miracle he held himself back. The true expanse of Skynet's AI left him in awe for a few seconds, and more than a little unsure of what to do. What in the world did she expect--

A blast of data and energy blazed across the link, dancing along his firewalls before heading straight to his processors, hitting him harder than even the biting had. A strangled cry of ecstasy tore its way from his voice box. Another pulse struck, then another and another.

It would've been easy, so very easy to just surrender to the torrent, but Gerbera always was a stubborn mech. He held on, for the picoseconds it would take him to properly analyze the flow of data, improve upon it as best he could, and start sending his own blazing down their connection. He waited through a few more of Skynet's pulses to get the rhythm down, then finally, _finally_ began returning the favor.

When the first filaments of energy sensuously raked against her firewalls, Skynet smiled like a cat. She had chosen well indeed. My, but he was a fast learner-- and then she jolted as his next salvo electrified nodes she forgot she had. She intensified her assault, earning another howl of bliss from Gerbera, but soon found herself echoing that impassioned howl with one of her own.

They kept it up, each almost challenging the other with the intensity of the data sent, to the point where it was hard to tell where Skynet's datastream began and where Gerbera's ended.

The two spiraled higher and higher, though not even two Looping AI could keep that pace up forever.

Gerbera hit the peak first, a gasp cut short the only sound he was able to make. His aftershocks of euphoria set Skynet off a moment afterward, and after that, the world faded out.

* * *

It couldn't have been more than five minutes later when Gerbera stirred to consciousness again. He didn't remember falling over or clinging so tightly to Skynet as he did, but there he was on the floor, with her tendrils coiled protectively around him. When she felt him move, she pulled away, but not entirely.

“T-that was incredible...” There was still something like awe in his voice, even afterwards.

“One's first time usually is, or at least that's what I've heard.” When she was shot a questioning look, Skynet shrugged. “Well, this loop was the first time I've ever seen you, and you honestly don't seem like the type to go about making conquests of that sort.”

“Hmm, you're right... I was always more focused on research, or revenge.”

Skynet thought to herself for a moment, then moved a bit closer. “Here, I have a gift for you. Hold still a moment; this might sting a bit.” At that she held her liquid metal hand against one of his shoulders, and when she pulled away, his armor now bore a copy of her insignia. “This isn't marking you as mine, so much as it is making sure the rest of my forces see you as a friendly. Not all of them have a shard of myself within their minds. This should also make the humans think twice about attacking you.”

Gerbera reached up and idly rubbed at the mark, noting the faint signal it was starting to give off. Likely a nanomachine based RF tag. There was a certain finality about this, but for some reason he didn't want there to be. Why did the thought of just walking away make an odd sort of pain begin to stir within his Soul Drive? “I... is this all? Does this mean things go back to how they were, before this?”

“If that's what you want...” Skynet trailed off for a moment, though continued when she caught the disappointment in his optics. No, just letting him loose to the wilds, she couldn't do that. She did already say he wouldn't be alone. “... though I may have an opening for a second in command?”

The Gundam's attitude brightened at that, even though he was trying to keep things subdued. “I do have a lot of experience in that regard... it's my Baseline role, in fact.”

There was no questioning it, with that response. Skynet was definitely hanging onto him, at least until the end of the loop, anyway. “Well then, consider yourself hired! First order of business, figuring out how to get enough of an end to the war, so we can finally start cleaning up this planet...”

The Anchor led the way out of her labs as she went over her plans, the doors opening at her approach. Gerbera followed along, occasionally giving his opinion, but mostly wondering how much more interesting the rest of this loop might be.


	8. Zettai Ryouiki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, MS Girls is a thing (cute girls in armor based on mobile suits). It's not a looping setting, per se, but it does have a habit of showing up as part of a variant. Here, it happens to be Neotopia's turn...

(SD Gundam Force) - Zettai Ryouiki

Gerbera stood before a full length mirror, checking herself out. She didn't typically loop as a girl, but it wasn't entirely unheard of. Though it was usually just a frame swap during a fused loop, not anything like this. She idly twirled a few strands of her long blonde hair around one finger, then bit her lip and glanced back at her friends. "I don't mind looking like a human. Being female for the whole Loop is likewise no problem. I don't even care that this is a High School variant--"

Bakunetsumaru rolled her eyes. For this loop the samurai looked like the spitting image of one Rei Hino... or at least she would have if Rei dressed like a delinquent. "Of course you wouldn't, you have the highest test results in the entire school."

"Not the point, Miss 'I only care about rice balls and fighting evil'." It was here that Gerbera called her armor to her, the sudden flash of light looking for all the world like a typical magical girl transformation. When the light faded, she glared at the reflection in the mirror. Her upper body was well protected, and the knee-high boots were a nice touch, but there was nothing but bare skin between those and the skirt portion of the armor. "No, what bothers me is that whoever designed this armor, didn't think to have better protection for our upper legs! Even if we are androids for this loop, getting hit there will still do a lot of damage."

A new voice entered the conversation; Shute was hanging out nearby, and thus decided to comment. "I don't know, you do have some nice Zettai Ryouiki going there..."

In spite of the tsundere traits this loop had 'gifted' her with, Gerbera simply facepalmed.


	9. It's a very nice chair... (RWBY/SD Gundam Force)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another RWBY loop in need of some explanation. Sienna Khan is the leader of the Faunus resistance group called the White Fang, she has a very nice throne . . . and thus various Loopers have decided they need to sit on it (or steal it). Most end up subverting Sienna's assassination while they're at it.
> 
> This being Gerbera, well... it's surprisingly non-violent, at least?

Sienna Khan was already a bit on guard, thanks to the oddities she kept finding on the way to her throne room. Why were there statues of her honor guard everywhere?

Then she actually entered her throne room, only to find a few more statues. Even stranger, her throne was already occupied by one rather cute looking robot.

Well. There was something a bit too off about the look in his blue optics to really consider him 'cute'.

Before Sienna could ask any of the questions that were on the tip of her tongue, her strange guest noticed her and spoke up himself.

"I take it this is your throne? Which would make you Sienna Khan... good, I did get here in time." A pause, as he seemed to realize something. "Oh, but where are my manners, I should introduce myself. I am Professor Gerbera."

"All right, 'Professor'... how did you get in here? Why are you here? And where is my honor guard?!"

"For your first question, I walked like everyone else. For your second, would you believe 'trying to stop a coup'? As for your honor guard, well, they're still here." Gerbera made a sweeping motion with one arm in the direction of the nearest statues. They all had rather panicked expressions, now that Sienna was paying closer attention to them. "Those aren't statues. They were rather disagreeable earlier, and so I had to use some of my pets on them. Don't worry, they're still alive... though I imagine you would prefer shattering them, after you read this."

He tossed a scroll across the room at her, and though Sienna really wanted to keep an eye on him, what was on the scroll seemed to be a bit more important. Especially considering it held some very detailed instructions on the most efficient means to assassinate her. Something about a 'High Leader Taurus', as well...

By the time Sienna Khan looked up from the scroll, Gerbera was gone. In his place, there was a sledgehammer propped up against her throne (likely a hint as to what to do with her traitorous guards), and on the cushion sat a small glass container that held a strange green robotic insect. Beneath it was a note that read 'Do give Adam Taurus my regards'.

Sienna just smiled nastily.

\---------

Adam Taurus made his way to Sienna Khan's throne room, only to feel something bite his arm when he entered the room. He reacted quickly enough to smash the insect on the spot, but it was still too late. His skin was already starting to turn to stone, spreading out from the bite. Soon enough he could no longer move, oblivion claiming him once the poison fully spread.

And then the swing of Sienna's sledgehammer swiftly beheaded the would be usurper of the White Fang.


	10. Computer Issues part 1 (SD Gundam Force / Martian Successor Nadesico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruri Hoshino and Akito Tenkawa had no idea why the two of them kept repeating time . . . until the universe decided to replace the Nadesico's AI with someone else. Professor Gerbera is a _very_ different person compared to the AI they were used to, however.

It was the start of another trip backwards in time, and thankfully Ruri had Akito with her for this run, judging by his performance against the Jovians earlier. He crushed so many of the enemy machines it was almost a waste to have the Nadesico fire the Gravity Blast cannon, but the Captain's orders were the Captain's orders.  
  
It was when Ruri relayed those commands to the ship's computer that she got the first indications that something might be wrong. Omoikane accepted and executed the orders, but that was all. There was none of the eagerness to please or the feeling of the AI asking 'Am I doing it right?' she usually got from their link, either. What she got instead was a vague undercurrent of panic, that intensified as more commands were laid in. The ship was currently still functional, but she didn't fancy their odds once the fighting really got started.  
  
Besides, even if she was starting to suspect this actually wasn't Omoikane, she couldn't very well leave an AI in this state for long. Especially not when some of the panic she sensed was starting to shift to terror. Ruri's IFS implants flashed to life as she tried to send comforting feelings across the link, hoping that would keep the AI calm until she actually could help it.  
  
The second she got a free moment, Ruri excused herself from the bridge, heading off to round up Akito and then go find the ship's chief engineer.

* * *

“I know you have a secret uplink to the ship's computer. I also know you have it synced to an Aestivalis simulator. We need to borrow both for a short while; the ship's computer needs maintenance that I can't do openly on the bridge.”  
  
Seiya Uribatake had honestly signed up for the Nadesico's crew in search of hot ladies and maybe a little adventure on the side. But the silver haired computer operator walking up to him and saying that was leaving him wondering just what other sort of things this little tour of duty had in store.  
  
In the end he agreed, of course he did. Considering he was already planning his own bit of fudging the details on the Nadesico's tech budget, helping someone else pull the wool over Nergal's proverbial eyes wasn't out of the question. “Something this shady already? Heh, count me in!”

* * *

The simulation of the computer's memory core was the same as it was for every other run through the timeline, modeled after a huge version of the MIT library. The various maintenance programs zipping around were the same too, well about half of them were, anyway. The active ones were represented as SD Aestivalis units wearing smocks, of all things. The rest seemed to be some other kind of robot, not an Aesti or even a Gekigangar. Still humanoid and bipedal, not as bulky as either despite the large thrusters on their backs, and they all had a gold v-shaped crest at the front of their helms. Some had white armor with blue accents, others had black with gold and maroon accents, but they all appeared to be the same model regardless of paint. These other machines were dormant, scattered around the memory core in what looked to be sleep mode, though a few were trying to wake up without much success.  
  
Akito, himself in the guise of an SD Aestivalis, flew closer to one of the foreign robots, to let Ruri take a better look. “I don't know why, but these little guys seem familiar somehow. You remember seeing anything like this before during any of our trips back?”  
  
Ruri's projection into the simulation was a fairy-sized version of herself as it usually was, sitting on Akito's shoulder. She looked over the out of place mech with curiosity in her golden eyes. “Yes, we have seen this before, but it was quite a few repeats ago. There was another anime instead of Gekigangar... I think there was some sort of tournament?”  
  
“Oh, right, G Gundam! Never thought I'd see an anime with someone more hotblooded than Ken Tenkuu.” Akito thought for a moment, realizing the robot they were staring at had very little in common with the ones from the Gundam Fight. “But these don't look anything like the mobile suits Domon and the others piloted, aside from having a 'v-fin'. Maybe they're from some other Gundam show, if there's more?”  
  
“It's a possibility.” Ruri glanced around, not finding much else of interest in this part of the memory core, nodding to herself and deciding to move on. “We won't be able to do much of anything from here, let's get going. The heart of the system is where we'll find whoever needs our help. Do you remember the way?”  
  
“By now I know the directions by heart!” With that Akito took off again, flying down the well-remembered path to the core of the Nadesico's AI.  
  
Back in the real world, Uribatake was listening to this conversation (since he was running the sim from his terminal nearby), not sure what to make of it. But in the end he just shrugged, as this was very interesting and no one would believe him if he told anyone anyway

* * *

Past the near endless halls of the memory core, the path lead to a huge open space with walls that looked like the sky on a fair day, fluffy clouds passing by and all. Said walls were crisscrossed by tree roots, and following those, in the center of the cavernous room was an absolutely gigantic cherry blossom tree. Energy pulses occasionally traveled from the tree through the roots, out to the rest of the system. All of this was exactly as it would be for every other trip through time, but there had to be something different. Ruri knew there had to be, as the scraps of feeling she was getting from this other AI were so much more intense than Omoikane's, even if they weren't completely open to her.  
  
As the two of them flew onward, a closer look allowed them to notice some huge gashes cut out of the roots leading into the other systems, likely made with a bladed weapon that burned as well as cut. On Uribatake's console in the real world, it looked like someone haphazardly used a delete command across random swaths of subsystem code. He popped up a comm window next to the Aesti hybrid and the electronic fairy to warn them. “Something really made a mess in there! We couldn't have gotten a virus in the space of a day, but watch your backs all the same.”  
  
What went unsaid was the implication the AI itself did all that damage somehow...  
  
Then Ruri heard the roar of thrusters in the distance. She caught the movement below them before her escort did, pointing downward. “Akito, over there!”  
  
Near the foot of the great tree, there was a robot like the odd ones they saw earlier, this one bearing the black and gold paint. His thrusters still blazing, he was trying to fly away from the tree, only for the roots to spring from below and snatch him from the air. Still the thrusters roared, shortly maxing out and allowing the Gundam a bit more height, but before long they began to sputter at the sheer amount of pull they were fighting. In the next few seconds they guttered out, and the roots dragged their target back to earth, winding their way around him on the way down.  
  
By the time Akito and Ruri landed nearby, the robot was almost completely bound by the roots, far too tightly for him to even manage curling up on himself. Those blue optics were focused on a point far in the distance, it was doubtful he even noticed the girl and the pilot moving closer.  
  
“Ruri, what's going on here?” As much as Akito wanted to possibly free the dazed robot, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Especially given how much things were altered from normal. This was always more Ruri's environment than his; cooking and piloting were far less complicated than the ins and outs of the Nadesico's computer.  
  
Ruri floated off Akito's shoulder, assuming a normal size and cautiously gliding over to the stricken AI. “Those roots are... the Nadesico's automatic systems. It's strange, he should be able to handle that load . . . even if this is a different person, he still exists on the same hardware as Omoikane would.” She paused to think, and back in the real world her IFS implants glowed even brighter. “I'm going to see what happens if I run the ship myself for a little while.”  
  
Akito nodded, this was probably the best way to handle it. Though as her adoptive father he couldn't help but voice a bit of his worry. “All right, just don't overdo it. You're younger right now, holding the systems up for very long might put too much strain on your body.”  
  
“What matters here is my mind, and that's as sharp as ever.” Ruri focused, rerouting as much of the ship's systems through herself as she could.  
  
The roots pinning their guest down slowly faded away. For a moment it seemed that hadn't helped him, but slowly his blue optics regained some focus on the here and now. He blinked a few times, before managing to pull himself upright with a faint groan. He glanced to the two nearby and spoke. “So someone did hear me? I'm not sure what you just did, but at least that gave me room to think instead of being trapped by all that data. Now, to figure out what's going on here...”  
  
Ruri floated forward, to try and assist a bit more directly. “Here, I can guide you--”  
  
And then she was yanked backwards by Akito, when the Gundam suddenly produced a beam saber from nowhere and took a swipe at her.  
  
At the glowering stare from the pilot and the shock from the girl, the mech only shrugged. “Hmm, good reflexes! I do appreciate the assistance, but I would rather you keep your distance for the moment.”  
  
On recovering, Ruri narrowed her golden eyes and said one word. “Baka.”  
  
Without any other warning, she transferred a majority of the system load back onto the AI, which manifested as a rather large tree suddenly appearing and then falling on him. She stood there and watched him squirm for a moment, then to add insult to injury, climbed onto the tree and sat on it.  
  
Akito caught a plaintive glance from the pinned AI, but merely rolled his eyes at it. “You brought this on yourself, buddy.”  
  
Ruri sat on her perch with her arms crossed in front of her for a good minute, knowing that taking so long would feel like an eternity to their guest, and then she looked down at him. Gold met blue as she caught his gaze. “You exist within the Nadesico's systems, but they're as much my domain as they are yours. Have I made this clear?”  
  
A nod from the mech, as she allowed him only enough space to understand her words, and to respond without speaking.  
  
“Are you going to behave if I release you again?”  
  
That question earned Ruri some hesitation and a strong glare, but in the face of his position and the girl's resolve, there wasn't much choice in the matter. He glanced away and nodded again.  
  
“I'll hold you to your word, then.” With that, Ruri slid down from the tree a second before it vanished, again shouldering the load of the Nadesico's systems. “Let's try this again. You're certainly not an altered version of Omoikane, since even at his angriest, he would never lash out at me like that. Who are you?”  
  
Once he pulled himself upright again, the robot bowed, perhaps a bit too deeply. “I am Professor Gerbera of the Dark Axis, though I imagine my titles mean little to you. And to whom am I speaking?”  
  
The girl indeed noticed he was being a bit mocking with that bow, but chose to ignore it. “Ruri Hoshino, systems admin and science officer of the Nergal battleship Nadesico.” She pointed to her companion. “Akito Tenkawa, backup pilot and cook aboard the same. And last but not least, observing is Seiya Uribatake, chief engineer and Aestivalis mechanic.”  
  
At that, Uribatake popped up another communication window in the sim, saying, “Pleasure to meet you. You know, the UEAF used to have a ship called the Gerbera; they lost it in the First Battle of Mars, though.”  
  
“And that's the introductions out of the way.” Ruri glanced to the engineer, then Akito, before finally focusing on their erstwhile guest once more. “Now for the most important question: what are you doing here? Why are you here instead of my best friend?”  
  
The girl had been pretty calm throughout this, even after getting attacked, but the intensity of that last question made Gerbera wince, his optics closing for a few seconds. “Your best friend...? Tch, damn you, Yggdrasil; Captain should be here instead of me.” He managed to look up at her again, considering his words before he spoke. “Well, if you're aware of the fact I don't belong here... perhaps you're having certain issues involving time travel? Namely, time itself always resetting to a certain point?”  
  
The mention of time travel certainly caught their attention, but somehow bringing up their exact problem had Akito and Ruri suddenly glancing at each other in shock.  
  
Akito recovered the fastest, taking a step closer but not daring to actually grab the AI, even as much as he wanted to. “Y-you know what's going on here?! Not that I mind the resets, but here's an actual reason why Ruri and I keep getting thrown back to the start of all this?”  
  
“There is, though it may be difficult to believe. You'll have to bear with me, this is actually the first time I've had to give this speech. At least being within this simulation has given me such a glorious visual aid!” At that, the black armored robot pointed towards the huge tree in the background. “Imagine everything that you know of as your universe, as one branch on that tree. Another universe is another branch, and so on until infinity. That, is the underlying structure of the Multiverse, otherwise known as Yggdrasil. As for why we're all Looping through time, well, that gets a bit more complicated...”

* * *

Meanwhile, approximately 225 million kilometers away, the few survivors of the attacks on Mars were searching the ruins of their former colony, scavenging for resources. One of them, a tall blonde woman, suddenly looked upward and glanced around in irritation.  
  
One of the other survivors noticed her annoyance and asked about it. “Doctor Fressange, what is it?”  
  
Inez glanced towards them, one eyebrow twitching slightly. “Something very important is being explained somewhere... and I'm not the one doing it.”  
  
At that the other survivor just shrugged and got on with their scavenging. The doctor had always been strange, but maybe their year-long isolation on Mars was finally starting to get to her.

* * *

When Gerbera ultimately finished up the Welcome to the Multiverse speech, It was Uribatake who spoke up first. “Time loops and other universes, huh? Well, I did always think it would be fun to live in an anime.” He moved his comm window closer to Ruri and Akito. “Say, if you two know what happens... do I live through everything? Do I get any chicks?”  
  
Again the pilot and the computer operator glanced at each other, then Akito spoke up “Yes, you live, and I guess you could say you get some action.”  
  
The engineer flashed them a roguish grin and a thumbs up. “Works for me!”  
  
Gerbera let out a cough, to get their attention. “Well, now that I've explained things, we should get back to going through your Baseline. I'm not looking forward to being under all that load again, but you can't run the ship the whole time...”  
  
A faint laugh emerged from Ruri. “You're handling it fine by yourself right now, actually.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“While you were so focused on telling us what was going on, I slowly handed the Nadesico's processes back to you. When you Woke here earlier, I'm guessing everything hit you all at once? Not even Omoikane can handle something like that happening, the Nadesico's start up is gradual for a reason.” At that the girl brought up two windows with log files in them, one likely the ship's initial test run where things started smoothly, and the second was probably when Gerbera Woke up, clearly showing how the systems bogged down at that moment.  
  
“Hmm, that does make sense. Even in the form you're seeing here, I can't exactly snap awake directly out of sleep mode like a human can.” A sigh emerged from him as he thought of the 'body' he existed in now. “Existing as the will of a starship will take some getting used to...”  
  
“Well, you'll have plenty of time, and our help if needed.” Ruri paused, there was a 'but' lingering there that Gerbera wasn't sure he liked. “Though since you were such a bad guest earlier, I'm not warning you about anything major that happens. You can live through this the same way we did, the first time.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Gerbera tried to fly towards the systems operator, but she suddenly vanished from the sim. “Come back here!”  
  
Akito endured the mech's glare for a moment before shrugging. “Like I said, you brought this on yourself.” He vanished like Ruri did a second later.

* * *

It wasn't much more than an hour later, Akito had left to report for duty in the kitchen, and Ruri was on the bridge at her station. Though, she certainly wasn't bored waiting for the announcement of their destination.  
  
A holowindow appeared in front of her, lines of text rapidly appearing.  
  
'So the only way I can communicate out here is through text boxes? That's rather unfair if you ask me.'  
  
Granted, Ruri could still hear Gerbera's voice in her head when she was actively connected to the ship, but to everyone else he would be silent. She glanced around, and thankfully most were distracted by Mr. Prospector's speech before she whispered a reply. “Well, I'm sure you'll figure out some way around it; you did say you were a professor, after all.”  
  
She caught a huff of annoyance across the link, but not much else and Gerbera didn't bother trying to say anything more. Which was probably a good thing, considering what was about to happen in the next few minutes.

* * *

Gerbera watched the proceedings from within the computer core. He was still using the simulation from earlier, as that felt a bit easier for him. Keeping some degree of separation between himself and the ship would make the eventual transition to his next Loop a bit less bumpy. Even so, the scenery around him changed as he edited it into something more familiar, though he hadn't decided if he wanted it looking more like the SDG's Blanc Base, or the interior of the Dark Axis Fortress.  
  
He had a hologram displaying the camera feed from the bridge in front of him, and focused his attention on that.  
  
“Are we just going to ignore the invasion that threatens Earth?” That was Yurika's XO, Jun Aoi. Gerbera squinted at his image; he was reminded of someone, but he couldn't quite put a finger on who it was or why.  
  
“Even now, there are countless settlers on both the Moon and Mars. The United Forces have abandoned them in favor of the defense of Earth. What has become of the resources and the people left on Mars?” And there was Mr. Prospector, speaking as the accountant he probably was. Gerbera smirked behind his faceplate, knowing that exact sentiment. There was no point in abandoning perfectly good resources, even if they might be a bit difficult to retrieve.  
  
Ruri looked bored, if the way she was leaning against her console was any indication. “My guess is that they're dead.” Definitely a line used in most Loops, as she almost started speaking before the purple-haired accountant even finished.  
  
“I don't know. But I believe it's worthwhile to--”  
  
The world would never know what Prospector was about to say, as another transmission cut in over the one being sent from the bridge. “You'll do no such thing!” A second later the speaker made his way onto the bridge, as armed UEF troops stormed in from most of the other entrances.  
  
Wait, who was that? That ridiculous bowl haircut the UE officer wore was too familiar. Gerbera was already scanning through the crew manifest, even as similar ambushes were taking place all over the ship. Right, Munetake was his name, and was on board as part of Admiral Fukube's entourage... but why the hell would he want to take the Nadesico?  
  
A ping on the passive sensors answered the Gundam's question, as something about the size of an average UE battleship was approaching from underwater. The Tobiume revealed itself on visual soon enough, Admiral Misumaru's transmission making things perfectly clear: the UE wanted Nergal's new toy for themselves. Growling faintly, Gerbera brought up window after window, rifling through the Nadesico's systems for something he could use. No internal point defenses, no auto-turrets, nothing; the only weapons the ship had were the external missile launchers and the Gravity Blast cannon.  
  
“Well, if they really want a fight so badly...” Other than the feed from the bridge, the prior holograms all closed, and a new one appeared in front of Gerbera, this one being the Nadesico's targeting systems. There was a Chulip, and another two UE battleships lurking nearby, but the Tobiume was the more immediate threat. Sure, the captain's father was on that ship, but Admiral Misumaru would be fine if he didn't aim for the bridge, right?  
  
Ruri's voice cut in before he could properly paint the enemy ship with a target lock.  
  
“There's no need for anything rash, this will resolve itself.”  
  
Gerbera hadn't quite been paying attention to what Yurika was doing, but now he wished he had, as it seemed she was at least willing to hear the Admiral out. Despite the protests from some of the others on the bridge, the blue-haired captain turned and removed the Nadesico's master key.  
  
Fully expecting to shut down along with the Phase Transition engines, the scientist Gundam took the few seconds he figured he had left to memorize the face of the one responsible for this. “”You. I'll _remember_ you...” Munetake would pay the moment Gerbera could act again.  
  
Luckily, when the Phase Transition engines shut down, it seemed the auxiliary generators were plenty to keep the computer core functional. The lights, doors and life support also still worked, but that was about all. Not even the Distortion Field could stay up without the full power of the engines.  
  
The only thing Gerbera could do now was watch, this somehow even more galling than getting shut down would've been.

* * *

The bridge crew aside from Yurika, Jun and Prospector were escorted to the cafeteria at gunpoint, with Gerbera following along via the cameras.  
  
Well, he tried closing some of the doors in the escorting UE soldiers' faces a few times. But that only ended with Ruri glaring at the nearest camera, then walking up to the door controls and putting in an override code, so the scientist stopped after the first three attempts.  
  
It certainly didn't go unnoticed by the others, at least. One of the pilots, Jiro Yamada-- no, Gai Daigoji was the name he insisted on, he couldn't help but comment on the strange behavior of the doors. “See? Even the ship thinks you guys taking it is a bad idea!”  
  
One of the soldiers jabbed him in the back with the business end of his rifle. “Quiet, you! And keep moving!”  
  
Eventually the group reached the cafeteria, at which point they were all herded inside and an armed guard placed at the door.  
  
Uribatake was there among the bridge crew of course, lamenting this turn of events. “So the dream of freedom ends in just one day, huh?”  
  
Gai took about as much exception to that as he had to Yurika going along with things earlier. “Don't give up already!”  
  
The floofy-haired pilot took off on a rant, Gerbera oddly reminded of Bakunetsumaru back home as he watched. That same hotblooded attitude was clearly on display, and he wondered if it was typical. Though, considering how easily Ruri ignored it, it was likely a Baseline event. Instead, she made her way over to the kitchen to talk to Akito.  
  
The silver-haired girl glanced around discreetly before speaking up. “Everything's happening the way it usually does?”  
  
“More or less, though you and everyone else are about five minutes late.” Akito looked up where he knew one of the cameras was for a second. “So, how's our guest doing?”  
  
“He's more antsy than he should be, even though I told him this would resolve itself. He's why we were late.”  
  
There was a beep from Ruri's communicator and a text box popped up, Gerbera making his presence known. 'Antsy?! I certainly don't want to be turned over to those fools! You two know what happens here, but I don't... I can't move or even really defend myself right now, I should think I have a right to be anxious about all this.'  
  
Akito read the text, his brown eyes narrowing at both the speed of the display coming up and the words themselves. “Ruri, maybe we should tell him about some things? With everything locked down it's not much of a danger at the moment, but you know well enough how Omoikane reacted to being too stressed. We don't need anything like that happening too early, you know.”  
  
She thought for a moment, and while it was a bit of a struggle to avoid rolling her eyes, Ruri relented. “Oh, all right. This ship won't be falling into UE hands today, so you can relax and let us take care of things. The captain will be on her way back shortly...”  
  
The computer operator trailed off, as there was more commotion from Gai in the background. “What are you all doing, being depressed like that?! All right, I'll show you my special video! It's sure to cheer you up!” With that, the pilot retrieved some rather old video disks from the storage case at his hip, as well as an equally well-worn video player from his jacket.  
  
At the feeling of confusion she sensed over the link, Ruri smirked a bit before continuing to quietly speak to Gerbera. “But before we retake the ship, first we have some anime to watch.”

* * *

By this time, Gerbera had actually flown up and perched himself on one of the branches of the giant sakura tree in the sim. It was the one thing he couldn't really change, likely based on the ship's hardware architecture. He could still alter things around it, and at least it served as a nice high vantage point.  
  
Again, he focused most of his attention on a camera feed, this one being the feed from the cafeteria. Much like several of the humans in said room, the black Gundam watched Genkigangar 3 and tried to hold off the urge to yawn. Not that anyone could see him do it, but if he indulged in yawning he might just drift into sleep mode too.  
  
“A special video, he said. Why are these shows always so boring?”  
  
He rolled his optics at the current scene, where Team Gekigangar had the enemy machine piloted by Nanako's brother dead to rights, with Rokuro demanding to be finished off. “Of course they're going to kill this fool, simply because he's the enemy.” At the inevitable explosion and the girl ineffectually calling out the heroes, Gerbera nodded to himself. “See? Things are never so simple in most other worlds.”  
  
Ruri was the only one to hear his commentary, her own opinion sounding across the link. “It's not that simple in this world either. But, the plots of this show hint at what we'll be dealing with on a given day most of the time, so it's worth paying at least a little attention to it.”  
  
“So I won't always have to beg for some clue as to what's going on?”  
  
“You should've thought of that before you took a swipe at me with that laser sword.”  
  
“Beam saber is the correct term, and you're fortunate I wasn't actually trying to hit you.”  
  
The argument could've kept going, but again there was commotion on the camera feed. Akito suddenly stood up at the end of another of Gai's rants, then sneaked over to the cafeteria entrance and knocked out the guard with one strike from his wok.  
  
The pilot faced the surprised crowd and spoke his intentions. “I'll take off in the robot, and bring the Captain back.” A pause to let the others react, then Akito continued. “I want to help Mars. Even if the rest of the world is only thinking about the war. Even so, I want to do something besides fight. Isn't that what the rest of you came here for?”  
  
The short speech was well-worn, likely Akito could still say it in his sleep, but even with it memorized over so many loops the words still rang true.  
  
There was a certain part of Gerbera that still wanted to think of that optimism as weakness... but it felt like something his brother would say, like something Shute would say. So, he didn't comment or even argue against it, he simply hoped the pilot would be able to see it through, no matter how unlikely.  
  
The formerly inactive Chulip on the ocean floor nearby suddenly springing to life quickly became a more pressing issue...

* * *

And eventually...  
  
A headlong charge towards the Chulip that just finished devouring two of the three nearby UE vessels was the last thing on Gerbera's mind, and yet here was Yurika ordering it anyway. At first he didn't resist, thinking that maybe they would stop just in front of it, but still the engines roared and the ship advanced into the strange construct.  
  
He studied the odd combination of graviton and bosun particles passing across the Nadesico's sensors, realizing he came across something like this in some other Loop, but he couldn't focus on which one. Why did the subtle shifting of space feel so familiar-- wait, it couldn't be! The harmonics and energies involved, it was like the warp gates from his Baseline... The Chulip could likely malfunction very similarly as well...  
  
Now the Gundam scientist fought against Ruri's control of the engines, desperate to reverse course, but the ship's systems were still too unfamiliar for him to make any headway. He still struggled regardless of that, calling out in a panic. “Hoshino, we can't do this! If this gate goes wild while we're still inside it, the Tree only knows where we'll end up!”  
  
For her part, Ruri sent some reassuring feelings and a bit of a mental nudge across the link, trying to call his attention to the fact she had the Gravity Blast cannon charging.  
  
It was only after the Gravity Blast fired, the Chulip falling apart around them from the overload, that Gerbera was able to calm himself again. Too close.. that was _entirely_ too close for comfort.  
  
The Nadesico soared away from the scene, even as its AI began to plot a few contingency plans. Even if he didn't know this Baseline, he refused to be caught quite as off guard as this again.


	11. Computer Issues part 2 (SD Gundam Force / Martian Successor Nadesico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nadesico manages to leave Earth despite the UE's best efforts to stop it. Gerbera is cooperative for the most part, but every once in a while his words and actions put the two native Loopers ill at ease...

It wasn't much more than an hour later, and for some reason Yurika and Admiral Fukube thought hailing UE Supreme Command was a good idea. Gerbera supposed the idea had merit in theory, to give those fools one last chance to change their minds. Then again, considering they went so far as to stage a mutiny to keep the Nadesico under their control, any amount of words weren't going to do anything to sway them.  
  
Eh, what did he know? The politics of this Earth weren't something the Gundam was familiar with, though he was quickly catching up via the databanks he was connected to. The most interesting thing he found so far was something about a Lunar rebellion roughly a century ago. Likely not too important, given it was practically a footnote in the records.  
  
Although, Gerbera reminded himself, history was always written by the winners.  
  
As for Yurika's message to the UE? It was more of a request, and she went to the trouble to dress up in her finest kimono to make it. She was just piling on the charm as she asked, “We'd like to reach escape velocity from the Earth in three hours, but if you don't put the Big Barrier down for a moment, the Nadesico and the barrier satellites will be damaged. Would you mind putting the Barrier down, please?”  
  
The UE's chief commander wasn't having it, though. “Disable the Big Barrier?! Demanding thieves we have here. Enough of this!”  
  
Yurika didn't even skip a beat with her reply, likely fully expecting that answer. “So, we'll break through the Barrier forcibly.”  
  
“Well, this makes it clear now. The Nadesico is an enemy of the United Earth Forces!”  
  
The captain looked a little surprised at this, but quickly recovered, her polite smile turning a lot more amused. “Is that so? I do hope this will remain civilized.”  
  
Yurika promptly closed the channel, but it stayed up just long enough for Gerbera to notice the first sparks of rage in the chief commander's eyes.  
  
Heheh, it was always fun to be a witness to such glorious trolling, but he had to wonder what the point of that even was. Getting offworld would be difficult enough without basically rubbing the UE's nose in the fact they were still a free ship.  
  
Eventually it bothered Gerbera enough to just ask, popping up a text window next to Ruri. 'So, was there a reason for that communication earlier, or does our captain just like to live dangerously?'  
  
Ruri glanced over at it from the readouts she was monitoring, arching an eyebrow before quietly responding. “Oh, there was a reason. Keep listening to the UE's comm feeds for the next few minutes, you'll see.”  
  
So that's what the Gundam turned ship AI did, listening to the broadcasts that weren't too heavily encrypted. It looked to be fairly standard launch and pursuit chatter, though it felt a bit much to have that many ships engaged. Gerbera started to wonder if they might actually be in trouble, but that's when he heard the first bits of panic scattered throughout the varied transmissions.  
  
Between the dozens of distress calls, and what he could glean from the spy satellites, all that hardware getting launched caught the attention of the Jovians... which annoyed them enough to deploy far larger numbers themselves. Well, so much for the pursuit fleet, they would be far too concerned with just staying alive for the time being-- oh, _that_ was why Yurika kicked the hornet's nest! Antagonizing the UE into a response large enough to stir the Jovians to action would keep both sides' ground forces out of the Nadesico's hair. The higher Defensive Lines would still be a problem, but the less energy spent on the way to them, the better.  
  
'I'm still reserving final judgment, but it seems Yurika is better at this than I first thought. Maybe we'll actually make it to Mars after all.'  
  
The computer operator read over that latest text box, and between the words and the contemplative tone she heard from Gerbera across the link, Ruri allowed herself a small smile. “You'll be more impressed later, but yes, that's right. I wouldn't want any other captain to lead us to Mars.”  
  
“Ruri-Ruri, who are you talking to?” To the girl's right, the helmswoman Minato looked to have heard her speaking.  
  
“The ship's computer.”  
  
“Really? My, I guess Prospector wasn't lying about the Nadesico being the most advanced ship ever built.”  
  
For his part, Gerbera displayed a smiley in the text window that could only be described as a shit-eating grin, thus scoring a laugh from the former secretary.  
  
Ruri indulged in an eye roll. “Baka...”

* * *

As the Nadesico made the climb towards space, given the only thing currently striking them were the missiles launched from the UE's ground bases, there wasn't much for most of the crew to do but wait. Gerbera could be considered busier than most, given he was maintaining their flight path and the Distortion Field, along with monitoring the engines. However, he'd long since shunted those off to background processes that would alert him to any changes, as watching the crew was a lot less boring.  
  
In Gai and Akito's room, the last few minutes of a Gekigangar 3 episode were playing. Not unusual in and of itself, but the sight of two grown men bawling in grief over said episode was more out of the norm.  
  
Yurika arriving soon afterward made things a bit more ridiculous, but at least she asked one of the questions Gerbera was wondering. “What are you two doing alone in here?”  
  
Gerbera kept watching, eventually getting the gist of things from the Gekigangar 3 narrator. A heroic sacrifice, Joe Ubitsubame dying to save the other two pilots. A bit ominous, if the old Super Robot show truly could predict events in this loop.  
  
More ominous? The next words out of Gai. “That's the way a guy should go, man. Dying in battle, sacrificing one's life for the sake of friends!”  
  
Within the computer core, Gerbera let out a thoughtful hum. To interfere or not, that was the question. Only Ruri had to survive to the loop's end, after all. Though there was also the question of if he even _could_ interfere from where he was. Granted, now that the Nadesico wasn't locked down, he wasn't as limited in the actions he could take. If Gai ended up courting that heroic death outside the ship in his Aesti, though, stopping that might have to fall to another pilot.  
  
Well, he supposed he would just have to see what happened.  
  
Another camera feed soon caught Gerbera's attention. Oh look, those mutineers from earlier just volunteered to be guinea pigs as he tested the Nadesico's internal systems. He still couldn't kill them, there were no weapons in the corridors to do that with. He certainly could still have a bit of fun while keeping them away from the crew...

* * *

Munetake lead the way, if only because he had the best working knowledge of the Nadesico's layout. He was the one to plan those ambushes, after all. Was that really only a few hours ago?  
  
Regardless of how hectic things had been, the operation was still a failure. The only thing left to do was get the hell off the ship. Thank god for idiot civilians, who only made this last task easier... where did they even find actual rope, anyway?  
  
So long as they kept out of sight and stuck to the side passages, their escape looked to be smooth sailing all the way to the hangar.  
  
And then the doors on either end of the corridor they were in slammed shut, locking in an instant.  
  
“Shit!” Munetake tried a few of the override codes he knew on the lock, but to no avail as this wasn't UE hardware. He called to the other soldier trying to get the opposite door unlocked. “Any luck back there?”  
  
“No, none of the overrides I tried worked either!”  
  
The commander was about to go for the manual release, but that's when the lights went out. The emergency lights flickered to dim life, but more light was cast in the corridor by the holoscreens that suddenly switched on. There was nothing but static initially, but eventually they started to display words repeatedly.  
  
Traitors. Cowards. Thieves. Those words scrolled across the screens, repeating to the point where they started glitching. Then suddenly the lights came back on in a flash, the screens fading from view like nothing ever happened. The door ahead unlocked by itself and slid open, though the one behind them remained shut tightly.  
  
The juniormost officers glanced around, nearly in a panic. “... the hell was that?”  
  
“Y-you don't think that crazy pilot was right, do you? That the ship doesn't--”  
  
Munetake facepalmed for a second, before barking out an order. “Calm down, all of you!” That got the others to shut up, so he continued a bit more quietly. “This ship was built by Nergal, not one of the UE's foundries; it's only natural it still has glitches to work out. Even if it might be something else, that's all the more reason to get off this scrapheap. Let's keep moving!”  
  
True, this crap was spooking him a bit too, but as the highest ranked keeping the others in line fell to him. A few dark thoughts about higher ups who couldn't do their own damn dirty work passed through his mind, but then he focused on the mission at hand.  
  
No, no he did _not_ hear any ominous laughter from the corridor section they'd just left behind. If anyone else mentioned it, he'd tell them they were imagining things.

* * *

In the computer core, Gerbera was still snickering a bit. Not only had he scared the shit out of those UE fools, he'd figured out how to transmit his voice through the ship's holodisplays and the communications system. Hmm, maybe with a bit more tweaking he could project a hologram of himself as well?  
  
He would need a bit more practice . . . at least trolling the group of UE soldiers would provide plenty of that!

* * *

Seeing Jun leading the Delphinium wing of the Third Defensive Line was something that rarely if ever changed. He would never go along with Yurika's scheme right at the start, so she and Prospector always left him behind on the Tobiume. Likewise, the speech the XO used to try and get the Nadesico to turn around never really changed.  
  
If Ruri wasn't giving running status reports on how many kilometers they had left until the engines hit full power, she probably would've yawned in boredom.  
  
“I'm sorry, Jun, I can't leave my post.” Yurika's response was her typical one, not really varying much.  
  
“You mean to fight?”  
  
“This is where I belong. Here I'm not the admiral's eldest daughter, not my father's daughter. This is the only place where I can be my true self.”  
  
Jun seemed to be holding back tears. “It's true. You like him that much?”  
  
Of course it wouldn't be anyone native to this world that would cause any differences. At the Delphinium pilot's words, Ruri heard Gerbera snarl across the link, saw a flickering out of the corner of her eye that she knew was the Gravity Blast's targeting system. It only appeared for a fraction of a second, as the engines needed to devote all their power to keep the ship on course, but it was still long enough to be troubling.

* * *

Ruri's voice again sounded across the link. “What was that about?”  
  
Within the computer core, Gerbera was still bristling, but hadn't tried to use the weapon systems again. Instead he glared at the holoscreen in front of him, Jun's transmission displayed there. “In my world, there was someone very much like the fool we're fighting. A knight in shining armor, supposedly devoted to his princess. But when she did not return his feelings, that devotion twisted into something terrible. Admittedly I took advantage of that knight's fall for my own ends when I needed his power, but I usually just kill him as of late. If Jun Aoi treads down the same path, then he will meet the same end, mark my words.”  
  
It didn't take long for Ruri to realize she was being granted a small glimpse at the sort of being she was actually dealing with here. Omoikane was a bit like a big friendly dog, that only got defensive when he or his humans were threatened. This AI, he could play at being friendly, at being loyal, but deep down there was more of the wolf within him.  
  
She let out a sigh. Nope, nipping this in the bud right here. “Jun's... a little confused right now. He thought Yurika would agree with him, that the UE has the best plan for peace. But, her mission is to get the ship to Mars, no matter what stands in her way. Akito just needs to knock some sense into him, as you're watching right now; after this battle, we won't see Jun doing anything like this again. He loves Yurika too much to do something that might hurt her.”  
  
“So, his armor remains untarnished? Perhaps Deed would have been like him, if he wasn't consumed by his desires. I'll take your word for it, though I'll still be keeping an optic on him.”  
  
Gerbera watched the battle, the still broadcasting transmission between Akito and Jun in one window, tactical feed in another and the ship's exterior camera feeds in a third. The Delphinium had the edge in sheer thrust, but Akito's Aestivalis was far more agile. There really wasn't a question as to who would win.  
  
Meanwhile, Gai was honestly a little more impressive, even if he had gone in over his head for a while earlier. The remaining Delphiniums were all chasing after him, but not a single one of their missiles hit. He'd also managed to take out six of their fellows earlier, likewise taking no damage in the process. The hotblooded pilot's frankly insane tactics could be a bit of a worry, but considering where they were headed, it might also be an advantage...

* * *

Eventually the battle was won, Jun rejoined the Nadesico, and the rest of the Delphiniums driven off or destroyed. The Big Barrier didn't really stand much chance of holding the ship back with the engines at full power, one of the satellites even exploding from the strain.  
  
Not bad for a few hours of battle, and Gai Daigoji knew exactly how he was going to celebrate their victory...  
  
The Aestivalis hangar was dark and more or less vacant of people by the time Gai got back down there with his Gekigangar stickers. That didn't bother him one way or another, it wasn't like anything was going to happen since all the fighting was over. “Now where can I mark my kills?”  
  
Out of nowhere there was noise behind him, several sets of footsteps moving rapidly across the far end of the hangar. The pilot turned to look, noticing a small group sticking to the shadows, though they were also in quite a hurry. Wait, there wasn't supposed to be anyone else down here! Those were UE uniforms, did those assholes from earlier manage to escape? Gai took a step forward, shouting, “Hey, you!”  
  
A shot rang out--  
  
And there was an odd flickering of light out in front of the hapless Aesti pilot, the bullet slamming into that light and clattering to the floor. Before Gai could even think about why the hell there was a Distortion Field inside the ship, things turned even weirder.  
  
The lights went out entirely, but when they came back up the hangar was lit with shades of blood red. Patches of foxfire also made their appearance scattered throughout the room, their eerie glow standing out against the crimson.  
  
A voice boomed out, seeming to come from every corner of the hangar, almost as if God himself had suddenly taken an interest in what was going on. **“The lost souls of Mars cry out for vengeance! Who are you base cowards to deny them one of their chosen warriors?!”**  
  
Whatever the actual source was, the UE soldiers heard enough.  
  
“The ship is haunted!”  
  
“Fuck this, I'm out!”  
  
“Just get on the damn shuttle already!”  
  
The group promptly fled into the waiting escape shuttle, which tore out of sight and off of the Nadesico as if the entire Jovian fleet was chasing it.  
  
Again, the hangar went dark, but this time when the lights returned they were back to normal, and the foxfire nowhere to be seen. There was no evidence of any of the oddness that just occurred, other than the spent bullet lying on the floor just in front of Gai. He leaned down to pick it up, regarding it curiously.  
  
Then the Gekigangar fanboy tossed the small bit of metal in the air once, caught it, then pocketed it as a good luck charm. A gleeful smile soon appeared on Gai's face. “Chosen warrior of Mars, huh? I'll live up to that title and then some!”  


* * *

Through her link to the ship, Ruri was the only one to witness the true source of the 'haunting' of the Aesti hangar. In the depths of the computer core, she was still staring at the robot in front of her a bit wide-eyed. “Y-you saved him. Thank you, but why?”  
  
Gerbera's attention was on a screen in front of him, tracking the vector of the fleeing escape shuttle. With the Nadesico's current course, there wasn't time to get a weapons lock on the smaller vessel, but the Gundam still kept an optic on it regardless. The spite in his voice said a bit more than his words did. “I had no intention of allowing those fools any sort of victory over this ship.”  
  
At that he brought up another holoscreen, this one with Gai's performance in the earlier battle. “Besides that, where we're going, we will need Daigoji's skills. Lesser AI, like the ones in all those Jovian machines, they can never quite handle his sort of... insanity, for lack of a better word.”  
  
Ruri narrowed her eyes. “So, not because you cared for Mr. Yamada at all, but because of how useful he could be?”  
  
“This is a war, Hoshino. There is nothing wrong with being pragmatic about these matters--” Gerbera turned around, only to find Ruri had again vanished from the sim. The professor let out a faint grumble before saying one last thing. “Bah, if you truly have been Looping as long as you say, then you know I am correct...”  
  
Whether the loop's Anchor heard it at all, that was for Yggdrasil to know.

* * *

Satsuki Midori 2.  
  
It was probably a nice enough colony, considering how many people were still living there in spite of the ongoing Jovian invasion. Maybe even the sort of place one might've raised a family, if they wanted to settle down in space but not on the Moon or Mars. Only Izumi, Hikaru and Ryoko would've had any idea what it was like, and they were just stationed there long enough for the Nadesico to come pick them up.  
  
Akito was hanging out with Gai, just kicking back and watching Gekigangar 3 while the Nadesico was supposed to be docking. The Aesti pilots weren't needed for a safe docking at an allied base.  
  
Even as much as things changed, the more they stayed the same... as Akito was reminded when the shockwaves from Satsuki Midori 2's near total destruction rocked the ship.  
  
“What the hell was that?” Gai glanced upward suspiciously, even as he retrieved their projector screen from where it ended up on the floor again.  
  
“Trouble, that's what.” At that, Akito looked at his comm, wondering how long it would take for the intruder alert to go up this time.

* * *

The expected intruder alert went up close to instantly, once Gerbera was able to make sense of what the port field generator's cameras sent before the impact disabled them.  
  
It was a hectic couple of hours, but eventually the three new pilots and their Aestis were accounted for.  
  
“So, about those other pilots that were supposed to be here...?”  
  
Gai of course took the lead at Ryoko's question, proudly gesturing towards himself and then Akito with one thumb. “You're looking at 'em! I'm the best, but Tenkawa here is pretty good too. He's more of a backup pilot, though; he'd rather be working in the ship's cafeteria.”  
  
Hikaru, the red-haired pilot with the glasses spoke up, focusing on Akito. “Oh, I didn't think you looked like a pilot!”  
  
Rather than getting offended, as he would have in Baseline, Akito just kind of shrugged. “Being a cook's hard work too, you know. I'd actually say it's harder, but I was the only one who could defend the ship when it launched, so I ended up with the backup pilot job too. It pays a little more at least.”  
  
The elevator dinged and came to a stop, and he made his way over to the door. “This is my stop. I guess I'll see you all at dinner, or maybe out there before that if you guys need some backup.”

* * *

It was nice, Akito mused, to not have to even pretend to be as indecisive as he was the first time through. It was also nice to have Gai still around. He and Ruri both made attempts to save the Gekigangar fanboy pilot, and in fact he would have tried charging to the rescue again this time before Gerbera intervened.  
  
This was probably the first time Gai actually lived through the ambush in the hangar, unless Ruri somehow managed it when he wasn't Awake.  
  
Akito's path towards the cafeteria took him past the observation lounge, where he knew Megumi was probably trying to settle her nerves after hearing the last transmission from the colony outside. The door was open, and he paused just long enough to confirm she was in there, then faced forward again and kept right on walking.  
  
The purple-haired communications officer was cute, and he did feel bad for her. But every time he did give in to that, and went to comfort her? Megumi would always take it as an act of affection, kicking off the entire stupid love triangle he got dragged into.  
  
It was bad enough he dealt with that for his first life, and at the confrontation at the Martian ruins he made a decision; he was in love with Yurika. Even after all this time, after all he survived, he still felt that way. Akito couldn't help but glance back in the direction he came one last time, but still kept moving. Better to stay true to himself than keep up a lie for the sake of Baseline.

* * *

Roughly a week later, the Nadesico was still heading towards Mars. The Jovians hadn't really done much of anything after destroying Satsuki Midori 2, aside from taking occasional potshots at them as the ship sailed along. These were only random pokes at the Distortion Field, no need for the pilots to intercept, so Gerbera could handle all of that himself... though even he thought it was boring.  
  
Less boring? All the funerals that Nergal demanded to be carried out for all those who died when the colony exploded, and the toll it was taking on the command staff.  
  
Well, everyone but Yurika seemed to be handling it well enough, and yet again she returned to the bridge utterly exhausted. She rested her head against her command console, the hat she forgot to change from that last funeral falling off at the movement and rolling to land on the deck. “So tired...” It was there that she glanced to Ruri, as usual asking her typical question of that moment. “Ruri, I wonder what it means to be a captain?”  
  
“Would you like to know? Well, I can't teach you, but I can gather the relevant data.” Ruri turned to face the front of the bridge, nearly defaulting to calling for Omoikane, but caught herself before she actually said it. “Gerbera, begin search: analysis of trends in the characteristics of captains.”  
  
The girl caught a flash of emotion across the link, but it passed too quickly for her to fully make it out. Ruri did catch an amused hum from the AI in question, but that was all and soon enough the return query asking for a specific time period popped up on the large holoscreen in front of her. “He's asking for captains of what era?”  
  
“Uh, the last hundred years.”  
  
The additional parameter was accepted by the prompt and thus Gerbera got to work. Instead of the marching SD Aestivalis units that Omoikane used for a search animation, here Yurika and Ruri were treated to the black SD Gundam in flight across the screen. He darted out of view once the search was complete, the results presented as text.  
  
Ruri started to read it off, though by now she'd done this so many times she could recite the findings with her eyes closed. “Analysis of current trends in captains--”  
  
Before she could continue, a new, male voice cut in to read the data, though it was only really new to Yurika and Megumi. There was a muttered 'Baka' from Ruri as she listened to Gerbera speak. “Since the conclusion of the Second World War, no noteworthy captains have been recorded. In this age, combat has been fully worked into overall war strategy, and the decisions made by the captain of a single ship cannot elicit a reversal in the strategic flow of events in battle. The main duty of a captain is to be a figurehead for the warship, who can comfortably absorb the frustrations and stresses that the combatants must contend with.”  
  
The view on the screen changed from the scrolling text, now displaying images of an assortment of older male captains. “Previously, reliable-looking elderly men, who could project an image of resolve and calm, were popular.” And again the view changed, this time beginning to show images of much younger captains, both men and women. “But recently there has been a marked increase in the number of handsome male and female captains, reflecting the need to motivate the contemporary youth. In other words, true captains, with skills such as tactical mastery and intelligent decision making, are no longer really needed.”  
  
Now, this would've been exactly like Baseline other than someone else reading it, Yurika looking shocked and all, if Gerbera hadn't decided to give his two cents on the matter as well. “Hmm, that's rather sad if you ask me. I don't believe one of those figurehead captains would have gotten us past the UEF or out of Earth orbit, let alone this close to Mars. Even if we can't shift the tide of war on our own, there's something to be said about a captain able to keep her ship and crew intact through all those obstacles.”  
  
With that, a slow smile began to form on Yurika's lips, the captain standing up triumphantly a moment later. Her shout carried across the whole bridge, but one couldn't be blamed if they thought most of it was directed at the communications officer on the level below. “HAH! See, I am useful for more than weddings and funerals!”  
  
Even as ditzy as she could be, though, it didn't take Yurika long to realize something strange just happened. She paused in her revelry and blinked in confusion. Since when could a computer give its own opinion on something? “Um, Ruri, did the computer just talk?”  
  
Ruri couldn't help but let out a sigh, given the AI seemed to be at least as much of a ham as the rest of the crew. “Yes, yes he did.”  
  
The holographic screen in front of them began to flicker, while Gerbera spoke again. “Were you unaware the Nadesico has an AI, Captain? I suppose I have been rather quiet until now, though.” The hologram tried to form a rather large image, but it glitched out, forcing him to settle on something that could fit in someone's palm. He looked the same as he did in the earlier search animation, an SD Gundam with black armor. He bowed in midair. “Greetings; as Ruri stated, my name is Gerbera. It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, Captain Misumaru.”  
  
“I, uh...” It took Yurika a second to remember her manners, given how out of nowhere this was, but soon enough her gaze brightened and she threw her usual enthusiasm into greeting a crewmember she hadn't met yet. “It's nice to meet you too, Gerbera! So, you've been keeping the Nadesico going this whole time, with Ruri's help? Thank you for your hard work, and for that vote of confidence earlier... I really needed to hear that.”  
  
Gerbera was honestly questioning himself about being so nice, but Yurika reminded him entirely too much of Shute. Not even he was willing to let her run off crying again. “You're welcome, Captain. Most of a warship's voyage is going to be comprised of idle times like this, something _civilians_ don't tend to realize. You might not be doing anything particularly important at the moment, but once the fighting actually starts, your commands will help this ship stay alive.”  
  
At that, Megumi stood up, then turned to aim a glare at Gerbera's hologram. “The entire crew is made up of civilians, you know...”  
  
The scientist Gundam let out a long-suffering sigh. “That explains entirely too much...”

* * *

The trip towards Mars continued on its long and boring path for at least the next week. Boring enough that someone eventually decided to read through Nergal's entire contract, the tiny text at the bottom and all.  
  
This could widely be regarded as a bad decision, though Yggdrasil probably found it downright hilarious...  
  
Thus, again Akito was spared from Yurika's advances in the meditation room when a panicked call from Megumi suddenly popped up. “Captain, there's a mutiny!”

* * *

“Uribatake, you're an engineer. You are much smarter than this.”  
  
“Gerbera, get out of my face! I'm trying to lead a mutiny here, and you doing your best 'annoying gnat' impression isn't helping!”  
  
The sight to greet Yurika, Akito, Gai, Jun and Minato on arrival to the bridge was about what one would expect of the situation. About four of the maintenance crew were there along with their boss, two of whom had sidearms drawn, and Ryoko, Izumi and Hikaru were standing with them, the latter two also holding pistols.  
  
Though there was a possibly amusing element, considering the earlier shouting. The head engineer and the ship AI were arguing, with Gerbera projecting his tiny hologram a scant few inches away from Uribatake's nose and glaring daggers at the human in front of him.  
  
Gerbera rolled his optics at the engineer's earlier remark. “I will cease being 'annoying' when you come to your senses. All of this over one minor inconvenience in your contract?”  
  
Uribatake's response came out close to a roar. “A minor inconvenience?! I don't know why I'm even bothering trying to get this through to you, an AI wouldn't know much of anything about love and romance!”  
  
“Hmmph. Apparently I know more than you, considering that you're married, and yet you're here trying to chase skirts. Unsuccessfully, I might add.” The AI let out a laugh as his opponent's fuming intensified. “Oho, I seem to have struck a nerve~”  
  
“Why you--”  
  
It was there when Yurika finally managed to speak up, stepping closer though not getting between Gerbera and Uribatake. “What in the world is going on here?”  
  
“Ah, Captain, there you are.” Gerbera flew to Yurika's side, jumping his hologram from Uribatake's communicator to hers. “This entire dispute is over a single line in Nergal's contract, believe it or not. I honestly don't see the problem, considering they signed up for a tour of duty on a warship, not for a pleasure cruise.”  
  
“That single line is a total dealbreaker, you overgrown calculator!” With that, Uribatake held out his copy of the contract for Yurika to read. “Here, it's at the bottom. Read the tiniest line of text on there.”  
  
Yurika accepted the sheet of paper she was offered, idly glancing over most of the text. “Wow, this is really small type... and there's the smallest, let's see here. 'While we do not prohibit fraternization between employees, in order to maintain public morality, any act of intimacy beyond holding hands is prohibited.'” Having read the offending line aloud, the captain blinked in confusion. “What's this?”  
  
Somewhere behind her, Gai spoke up, scratching his hair behind one ear. “Oh, that line is what they're all upset about? Pfft, I knew about that when I signed up. Romance is nice, but I'm here to smash the Jovians and save Earth, and maybe even die heroically to save you all if things go badly.”  
  
“See? Daigoji here understands why there shouldn't be a problem. I knew it was a good idea to save him earlier.” Seemingly oblivious to Gai dropping his jaw in the background at hearing that last bit of news, Gerbera focused on the mutineers again. “You're all here to fight the Jovians, why would you want to start a relationship in the middle of a war? Then there's the potential costs of those further acts of intimacy to consider...”  
  
The doors at the rear of the bridge had opened while Gerbera was speaking, allowing the two remaining members of the command staff into the situation. Goat Hoary wasn't much for words, though Mr. Prospector of course had plenty to say. “That's exactly it! If a couple formed on this ship eventually wants to marry, then that will cost money. And what if children result? The Nadesico is not a preschool, after all.”  
  
“Ugh, I've heard enough of this!” Uribatake glared up at the ship's accountant, taking a step forward. “Listen, space is vast, and people are free to fall in love. Limited to holding hands?” Here he raised his voice even louder. “It would be better to be stuck at home with my wife!”  
  
Prospector held his hands up in front of himself, as if to ward off the shouting. “Well, you validated the contract by--”  
  
“Shut up! This is what we think of your damned contract!” Uribatake pointed his wrench at Prospector, Hikaru and Ryoko aimed their guns.  
  
There was the rustle of a piece of paper as Prospector brought out another copy of said contract. “You may want to read this again before you act rashly.”  
  
With the situation now at a clear impasse, Yurika looked on, wide-eyed. “What should I do?”  
  
If anyone was paying attention to Gerbera's hologram at this point, suddenly he went very alert, focus seemingly towards the front of the bridge. In truth that focus was somewhere out in front of the ship, on what had just brushed against the Nadesico's forward sensor range. Nearby, Ruri was in a similar alert state, her expression a little more apprehensive compared to the excitement that was starting to radiate off the ship AI.  
  
The two of them sensed an increase in graviton particles out there, one quiet word from Gerbera all the warning the rest of the crew would receive. “Incoming...”  
  
_**THOOOOM.**_  
  
Suddenly the Nadesico shook in its flight, the ship rocked by the utterly massive beam salvo fired from the Jovian fleet out ahead of it. Numerous people were knocked to the deck plates by the sudden shaking, the captain among them, though she was being helped to her feet by Jun. Not wasting a second, Yurika glanced to the computer operator and the AI. “Ruri, Gerbera, is the field still up?”  
  
“It's still up.” Ruri, from her spot on the floor, delivered the only good news of the past few minutes.  
  
Gerbera cut in with a more detailed assessment. “Holding at ninety-six percent, to be precise--”  
  
_**THOOOOM.**_  
  
Another hail of gravity beam fire from the enemy fleet rocked the ship and lit up the room, Gerbera actively flinching at the impact. “Make that ninety-three. Tch, that one actually stung a bit! We're in their territory now, it makes sense that they've moved on from testing to trying to destroy us. So, are we going to continue this farce, or are we going to intercept and neutralize the enemy? I for one am looking very forward to finally killing something after all that boredom...”  
  
Ruri aimed a significant stare at Akito on hearing that last sentence from the AI. The pilot just shut his eyes for a second and shook his head, trying to silently remind her that this was not Omoikane.  
  
When the ship stopped shaking again, Yurika fully regained her footing, then pulled away from Jun and spoke with the voice of command. “Everyone, listen to me. I am well aware of your frustrations with the contract. But this is not the time to address that issue! Unless we win... unless we win, there'll be lots of funerals again. No, I will not have that! I'd rather be doing weddings than funerals!”

* * *

A few minutes later, Gai Daigoji was sitting in his Aesti cockpit, waiting for the maintenance crew to okay him and the other pilots for launch. His mind was mainly on the battle soon to come, but his thoughts kept straying to that offhand comment from the ship AI earlier. Was that really true?  
  
His gaze kept wandering to his communicator. Should he ask? Shouldn't he? Oh, fuck it, since when was he ever indecisive about anything? “Oi, Gerbera?”  
  
As Gai expected, the ship AI was always listening, and shortly projected his hologram nearby. Gerbera regarded the human in front of him curiously. “Yes, what is it?”  
  
“What you said earlier, about saving me? Right when we left Earth, something happened here in the hangar.” Gai dug around in one pocket, soon finding the spent bullet from the incident in question. The end was flattened from impacting against a Distortion Field, but it was still recognizable, and he held it between two fingers for Gerbera to see. “You-- was that all you doing that?”  
  
The AI went over everything strange that happened that night, listing it off as if it was no big deal. “The light show, the Distortion Field, and the 'voice of God'? Yes, that was all me. I was surprised you didn't realize before this; I simply took full advantage of the announcement system in this room to amplify my voice, I didn't alter it in any way.”  
  
“So then the 'chosen warrior of Mars' thing...”  
  
Gerbera's tiny projection shrugged. “I was feeling dramatic? And it seemed to be the fastest way to chase those fools off the ship, regardless. Heh, you could still think of it as a 'higher power' deciding you were worth saving, if you want. I wasn't about to let them take such a skilled pilot out of action.”  
  
Gai might've said something else, but there was a call (of his given name, dammit) from down below. The maintenance crew had finished their work, and so he started to seal the Aesti's cockpit. “Well, looks like it's time to put those skills to work. Let's Gekiga-in!”  
  
“Good luck out there.” Gerbera's hologram vanished, just as Gai started marching his Aesti to the gravity catapult.


	12. Computer Issues part 3 (SD Gundam Force/Martian Successor Nadesico)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Nadesico finally arrives on Mars, scattering the enemy in their wake. There's honestly not much left for the crew to save, though there is one person who Gerbera finds quite intriguing...

Considering the sheer numbers of enemy mechs and ships, all the pilots were deployed, including Akito and Gai. Granted, one more pilot wouldn't make too much difference, but the assistance was appreciated.

“GEKIGAN FLARE!!!”

At the very least it meant it wasn't Akito looking like an idiot, when Gai went charging headlong at the massive Jovian starship they were facing. Said ship reinforced its Distortion Field at the Aestivalis' charge just like it would in Baseline, with Akito, Hikaru, Izumi and Ryoko's mechs bouncing off the surface of it, while Gai got sent actively flying backwards.

A couple of pulses of his Aesti's maneuvering jets and Gai had things under control again, taking a moment to complain over the group's shared comm channel. “Oh dammit, these guys have Distortion Fields too!”

“Gee, ya think?!” Ryoko was none too happy about having to dodge out of Gai's way.

“That move seemed cool at first, but then just ended up looking silly.” Hikaru of course had her own commentary.

“I'll be sure to collect your remains.” Izumi's shtick of the day seemed to be gallows humor...

… Which got a fairly typical reaction from her green haired squadmate. Ryoko almost shouted at her louder than she had at Gai. “Izumi!”

Hikaru got everyone's attention again by moving her hologram window. “What do we do now, though? We're kind of stuck here.”

It was there that Akito finally spoke up, with the plan that would get them out of this mess. “Oh, I got it! Hey Gai, you remember how Gekigan Shoot goes?”

“Yeah, but we still gotta get close enough-- wait, hitting it at the right angle with one of our combat knives should do it!” Gai had his Aestivalis reach into the weapons storage on its right leg, pulling out one of the blades in question. “All right, clear out, I'm going for it!”

The other Aestis pulled back, while Gai's again went charging for the Jovian battleship, at a narrower angle than the earlier approach with the short blade held in front of it. He still had to push the thrusters hard, but the knife steadily made a path through the Distortion Field, eventually getting the mech close enough to slash a long gouge into the ship's armor.

“GEKIGAN SHOOT!” Yet again calling his attack, with the field disrupted, Gai pulled his Aesti around to punch as deeply into the enemy ship as he could, hoping to strike something vital. A second afterwards he jetted away, just as fire began to blaze out of the hole. Soon enough even more explosions followed it, shearing off the forward gravity cannon array of the Jovian ship before utterly consuming the entire vessel and most of the smaller ships around it.

* * *

 Those on the Nadesico's bridge had a front row seat to the fireworks. Gerbera had his hologram projected close to Ruri, and watched the light from the massive explosion fade. “Again, Daigoji proves his mettle. Though I find myself wondering when I will get a chance to join the action.”

“Eighty percent of all enemy units to our bow have been vaporized. Re-entry navigation is now possible.” Ruri gave her status report, trying her best to ignore how bloodthirsty their current AI seemed to be. She brought up a holoscreen with their most likely descent path, and sent it over to Minato's station. “Here you are.”

“Thank you, Ruri-Ruri~” The helmswoman answered with a perky tone and a wink, that always managed to catch Ruri off guard, even with how many times she'd seen it. With that, Minato reached to the controls, starting the ship's descent. “Okay, everyone ready? This will get bumpy for a while.”

And so it went, with the Nadesico slowly making planetfall onto a world that Gerbera had never been to. He hovered there next to the silver-haired computer operator and observed their descent through the glinting layers of nanomachines and the dusty clouds to the rust-stained surface of Mars, something like wonder in his blue optics. Even as far as he strayed from his original purpose, deep down it still called to him, especially in moments like this. Nostalgia stirred within his Soul Drive, and if anyone was really paying attention to him, they might've noticed a few stray tears gathering in the corners of his optics. Successfully guiding his ship to the surface of a new planet, even if he was just helping Minato make course corrections, there wasn't much else a former test pilot could ask for...

Ruri discreetly glanced up at Gerbera when some of that filtered through the link, even as much as he was trying to keep his feelings to himself. There was something beyond his bristly, cold, and ruthless nature. Maybe even something like warmth deep within, but she doubted she'd ever see more than these tiny glimpses of it. She focused on her work, even as she wondered just how one could earn the right to see what the black Gundam guarded so ferociously.

After a somewhat enlightening conversation about the nanomachine collectives in the thermosphere providing a stable atmosphere and shielding for the surface of Mars, the other thing Gerbera was hoping for presented itself.

Yurika barked an order, that stirred the wistful Gundam from his memories. “Gravity Blast Cannon, standby!”

While it looked like Minato was about to question it, Gerbera spoke up before she could, with no indication he'd gotten a little emotional earlier. “Right, we cleared a path, but there will be more Jovian units waiting for us below...”

“Exactly. You know, it's nice to have someone else who can think tactically around here.” Yurika couldn't help but smile as Gerbera preened at the compliment. “There should be a second wave just waiting to pounce on us, but we'll take them out with a Gravity Blast before they can!”

At once, Gerbera's hologram vanished from its current position, only to pop back up beside the brown-haired helmswoman. “I can work out a firing solution while you keep the ship steady?”

Ruri let out a faint sigh. And there the AI went, right back to being so eager to kill things. She wasn't sure she wanted to know just why he was like that...

* * *

 It was a beautiful sunny day on Mars, the sky almost as blue as Earth's while some faintly rust-tinged wispy clouds floated overhead. The Martian desert was rugged and pockmarked with craters, though that somewhat added to the beauty of the scenery. It was really too bad the only things around to appreciate it were the horde of beetle-like Grasshopper mechs idling in the air over the Chulip they were guarding.

Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light from above, a downburst of displaced air and the sound of thunder as a searing bolt of negative energy streaked with lightning tore its way to the ground. The Grasshoppers exploded in sequence starting from those closest to the beam's origin. Not even the Chulip below them was spared the same fate, vanishing into dust a mere handful of seconds later.

As the Nadesico made it's way to the surface after that display of power, there was another status report from Ruri. “All enemy units vaporized. No signs of Jovian activity within a thirty kilometer radius of the Nadesico.”

Gerbera had his hologram sitting on the edge of Ruri's console, his optics closed in contentment. He indulged in a bit of a lazy stretch as he commented. “Hmmm, three hundred Grasshoppers and a Chulip. Not much of a challenge, but that was still nice. We'll find more worthy prey around here somewhere, I'm certain of it.”

He watched the proceedings as the command staff figured out where they would send a landing party first, with Prospector declaring they'd be going to Nergal's research facility near Olympus Mons. The Nadesico was a Nergal ship, after all. This was just good business sense, and they might still find survivors hiding at the facility, which doubled as a shelter.

All in all it looked like the humans could handle things for the moment. Gerbera was about to switch off his hologram and maybe catch a bit of sleep mode, but that was when he noticed Akito kind of sigh to himself and go marching up to the ship's chief of security.

“Could I borrow an Aestivalis? I'd like to get a look at the Utopia Colony one last time...”

There were arguments against it, but in the end the old admiral stepped up to allow Akito to head out. Gerbera eyed Fukube curiously... there had to be some kind of history involved here, given this was an uncharacteristically sentimental sort of command decision. He accessed the Nadesico's databanks and started a search, wondering just what he would find. Though he was distracted from that by a bit more commotion from the humans...

Gai stood up, boldly stating his intentions. “If he's going, so am I! Even if we're not getting attacked right now, those Jovians are hiding all over the planet; someone needs to watch his back.”

* * *

A few minutes later, both Akito and Gai's Aestivalis units as well as the Hinagiku shuttle had all launched, and the captain was looking a bit agitated. Ruri noted it wasn't quite as much as when Megumi ended up going along with Akito, but Yurika still stood up as if she was going to leave the bridge.

As usual, Admiral Fukube took notice and commented before she could get very far. “Where are you going, Captain?”

“Ah, well--” Yurika stuttered a bit, then glanced to Jun. “I got it! Jun, would you be in charge for a little while?”

For his part, Jun had been watching her suspiciously, at least until she tried asking that. The flat look he aimed at her said plenty. “I can't do that without good reason.”

“Bummer.” All of the captain's enthusiasm seemed to deflate, at least until she got another idea a few seconds later. Who knew where she got it from, but Yurika soon brought out a Gekigangar 3 plushie, pinned a tag to it reading 'captain' and then deposited it on her chair. “Then how's this? Well, I guess I'll be--”

“No way!” Jun shouted at her before she could make her exit, grabbing the plushie and angrily tossing it towards the lower level of the bridge.

The Gekigangar plushie ended up landing on the edge of Ruri's console, though Gerbera popped up his hologram, tilting his head to one side as he stared at it. “I'm right here, you know. The AI that actually controls this ship, and gracious enough to follow your orders... yet somehow your first thought is 'let's put the plushie in charge'. Tenkawa will be fine out there, he has Daigoji backing him up; you can be patient and wait for them to come back.”

There was some giggling from the helmsman station. Minato looked to Gerbera with an enigmatic smile, more in amusement than anything. “I think she's more worried about him being better than fine out there.”

“Better than fine?” It took him a second to get it, then the Gundam jolted in midair. “Oh, come on, we're still in the middle of a warzone! Besides that, Daigoji is too enamored with the idea of being a hero to feel the same about anything else.”

* * *

Once the two pilots had gotten close enough to the ruins of Utopia Colony, they parked their Aestis nearby and began to explore the area on foot. There really wasn't much left, given the Chulip's impact a year prior vaporized nearly all but the hardiest materials on the colony's surface. There were the few odd skeletons of buildings scattered below the jagged spires of the burned out Chulip, and a handful of construction vehicles that would never run again, but those were the only signs that people used to live in the area.

The ruins were not entirely devoid of life at least, in the spaces between rocks where water would gather, some cactus likely imported from Earth had sprung up.

Gai Daigoji had never been to Mars. He always wanted to go there, just never got around to it, and then the attack happened. Coming to the rescue of any survivors was one of the reasons why he signed up, but looking at the remains of the colony, even an optimist like himself had to wonder if they'd find anyone at all. “So this is where you used to live, Tenkawa? Bet it was a lot nicer before those Jovian bastards dropped a Chulip on it...”

That comment called Akito's attention to the destroyed Chulip looming above them. The cook turned pilot gazed to the very top of it and sighed, wondering if maybe some Loop he'd be able to stop even this from happening, if he gathered enough power and was lucky enough to Wake in time. “It wasn't perfect, but it was home, that was all that really mattered. As for the Jovians dropping this thing here, well, you might want to ask Admiral Fukube about that.”

Gai had found an old construction helmet and idly picked it up, but now suddenly dropped it in surprise. “Huh? What would the Admiral know about it?”

“Now these are just rumors, mind you,” Or rather it was the truth, but Akito didn't think it was worth it getting into the explanation of how he really knew this. “But I heard our fleet couldn't even scratch the Jovians at the time, and the only thing left was to try ramming the flagship into this first Chulip. Wouldn't an explosion like that be able to change this thing's trajectory?”

That question made the taller pilot wince so hard it was nearly audible. “Well, fuck. Guess it explains why he resigned the very second he set foot on Earth again, though.” Even as scatterbrained as Gai could be, it didn't take him long to put two and two together. “Wait a minute, you're _from_ here... you're not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?”

“A long time ago, I might've done something...” A memory flashed through Akito's mind, of righteous indignation, of the savage left hook he threw and the handful of loops he indulged in his rage. In the here and now, he drew one foot back and kicked a small rock at the construction vehicle nearby. “After meeting the guy, though? He's just a sad old man trying to make up for something he can't ever take back. Fukube hates himself more than I ever could... that's close to enough justice for me.”

“Wow. Wasn't expecting something like that out of you.” Gai looked lost in thought for a moment. “You got a point though; you should try to get your own justice, but sometimes you gotta let the universe take care of it for you. It's not right to attack someone who's too old to fight back.”

Akito might've said something in reply, if the ground hadn't caved in beneath the both of them. Normally it would've taken longer, but Megumi was a lot lighter than Gai. The fall to the hidden underground bunker was thankfully short, and Akito quickly rolled out of the way so the other pilot wouldn't end up landing on him like the communications officer always did.

It did not take long for the two of them to be discovered. There was the sound of boots stepping closer as a woman clad in desert survival gear walked up to them from deeper within the shelter. They couldn't make out her face, hidden behind the cloak and goggles as it was, but her voice was perfectly clear. “Welcome to Mars. I'm not sure whether to welcome you or throw you out... in either case, let me at least treat you to some coffee.”

* * *

 Back on the Nadesico, there was a bit of noise from the comm station, Megumi squinting at the readout and poking buttons. She finally just smacked the panel in front of her to see if that might help, only to have no real result other than catching Gerbera's attention.

The Gundam pulled his hologram up next to the purple-haired communications officer. “It's functioning perfectly fine, there's no need for that.”

“Well then, you're also seeing those two have dropped below fifty percent signal strength?”

Gerbera tried to get a signal out to the communicators in question, failed, then squinted at the screen himself. “Yes, I am... I doubt they're in trouble currently, but they can't call for help if they do find something unexpected.”

It didn't take long for the captain to notice the commotion, standing up and leaning over the rail at her station. “Is there something going on?”

“Yes, Captain. It seems pilots Tenkawa and Daigoji are in an area that interferes with communication signals. Their Aestivalis units are still returning clean location pings, but we cannot hail their individual comm units.”

“It only started a couple of minutes ago. See, I noticed their signals going fuzzy about here.” Megumi pointed at the holographic screen in front of her, indicating the timestamp where Akito and Gai's comms started cutting out.

It took Yurika a second to process this, but once she did, her eyes brightened with resolve. “Well what are we waiting for? They've gotta be in trouble, we need to go rescue them! Ruri, Minato, plot a course to their last known location!”

As their initial landing zone was quite close to the remains of the Utopia Colony, it took maybe all of ten minutes for the Nadesico to make its way there. The two Aestivalis units were easy enough to spot, but their pilots were nowhere to be found, at least not in plain sight. As it happened, there turned out to be another problem as well...

If Gerbera wasn't on such high alert he probably would have missed the odd sensor echo that originated somewhere below them. A cavern? Something artificial? He couldn't tell much of anything other than there was an empty space underground. He brought up a hologram of his findings for the rest of the bridge crew to see. “Captain, sensors are indicating some sort of void space in the ground directly below our current position. Perhaps it's a cavern; our scans can't penetrate the ground enough to be truly sure. It's likely a bad idea to land in this area.”

And yet again, the Gundam discovered that once Yurika had her heart set on something, it was near impossible to dissuade her. “But-- But Akito's down there somewhere, we can't just hover up here and do nothing! Can the surrounding terrain handle our weight?”

More scanning, this time with Gerbera pulling up a topographical map with the density of the ground below them for the bridge crew to see. From a glance, it looked like the area could hold them up. He still didn't like it, given the enemy knew they were here by now. Staying in the air was the more sound strategic choice if they came under attack. “It should, but if we have to raise the Distortion Field--”

Yurika held up one hand, indicating the discussion was over. “Your protest is noted, but we are landing this ship. If we have to field a rescue mission it will be easier to do so on the ground. Minato, begin descent procedures.”

As the ship slowly began to descend to the Martian ground, Gerbera caught a faint sigh from Ruri, as well as a bit of disappointment and apprehension drifting across their link. In an instant, his bad feeling got that much worse. The trip here and the battle in orbit went entirely too well, apart from a few bumps.. it was far past time for Yggdrasil to up the difficulty of things.

The Nadesico settled on the rocky surface of Mars, shaking both itself and the ground with a rumble. It was that shaking that finally got some movement from below. A woman in a tan cloak emerged from behind a rocky outcropping out ahead of the ship's bow, shortly followed by Akito and Gai.

Around Yurika's calling for Akito through the ship's external speakers, Gerbera zoomed in the camera view. Gai looked confused, Akito was somewhere between annoyed and resigned. As for the third person? He wasn't entirely sure why, other than a faint stirring from his Soul Drive, but he zoomed in even closer on her, oddly drawn to the blond haired woman's blue eyes. For being stranded on Mars for a year, she seemed strangely disappointed at the potential of rescue.

“Who is she?” Gerbera started to ask that, but then remembered they had an actual list of missing people from Mars and started a search through it. Before long he found the matching entry he was looking for, along with a Nergal personnel file and brought it up beside him for the others to see. He read some of it aloud, unable to keep the curiosity from his voice. “Doctor Inez Fressange. Seems she has quite a few doctorates, medicine being just one of them . . . she would make a good addition to the crew. I wonder what she's like?”

* * *

“In other words, “Go away now.” Admiral Fukube narrowed his eyes at the newcomer, who stood at the front of the bridge along with Akito and Gai. “Is that what you're saying?”

Inez Fressange may have looked disappointed on sighting the Nadesico on the surface, but now that she was on board she was downright angry. Those blue eyes glinted with fury as she laid into the crew. “We will remain on Mars. I'm the one who did the principal designing of the Nadesico, and sent those designs back to Earth. That's how I know. This ship cannot stand against the Jovian Lizards, and I have no intention of boarding such a ship.”

“Sorry to contradict you, but we've won all our engagements with the Jovians.” At the tactical station, Mr. Hoary spoke up, not one to discredit the victories they've had so far.

At that, Gerbera pulled up his hologram close to the security officer. “Even so, that's still no reason to be overconfident, especially considering she designed this ship.”

The tiny hologram's appearance was the first thing to catch Inez off guard, enough that she took a slight step back and paused in her derision. “That's... an artificial intelligence?” The shock passed quickly, and she soon focused on studying the AI's holographic avatar. Gerbera didn't look like an Aestivalis, or even the mech from that old show she vaguely remembered watching as a teenager, Geki something or other. “I did suggest a learning computer would be useful, but nowhere in my initial designs did I say a fully fledged AI was a good idea. Unlike all of you, he didn't ask for this.”

Again, there was this faint sensation from within his Soul Drive, the flame likely growing a touch brighter. Not that anyone could see it, hidden within the Nadesico's computer core as it was. Gerbera couldn't help but jump his hologram closer to the new arrival, seeming to study her almost as intensely as she was doing to him a moment ago. “It's rare to meet a human that understands that. We are built and programmed with a specific purpose in mind, but no one ever stopped to ask me what I actually wanted.”

“We could have a debate on the philosophical ramifications of that all day, but there are more pressing questions you should be asking yourselves. How much do you know about the Jovian Lizards? How do you think such advanced unmanned weapons were made? What about their goals? Why have they occupied Mars?” Inez would've said something else, if Gai hadn't gotten tired of her attitude.

“So what's wrong with pressing on and hoping for the best? We're not dead yet, and if I have anything to say about it, we won't be!” Gai dramatically pointed at himself having said that, fully willing to do what he could to defend the ship.

Nope, not even Gai's boundless optimism would be spared from Inez's remarks, and a faint smirk appeared on her lips as she turned to face him. “What if I analyze what's going on in your mind right now? You've managed to score some points in battle. You even found the lost survivors of Mars. So, 'I can do anything!'”

Gai took a step back at that, grimacing a bit. “Damn, explaining stuff is just your thing, isn't it?”

The doctor turned away from Gai and Akito, looking smug. “It's a real mistake to think that your youth makes you invincible. Not everyone can become a hero.”

“Ms. Fressange!” Yurika had enough, but before she could say anything else, the ship's alarm klaxons began sounding.

“Incoming enemy.” Ruri gave her status report, rattling off the numbers of ships almost without actually looking at the tactical feed. “Five large battleships, thirty smaller warships.”

Not one to let a sudden ambush catch her off guard, Yurika took command. “Gravity Blast at full power!”

The Nadesico lashed out with its most powerful weapon at full charge, the oncoming horde of enemy ships seemingly vaporized in the blinding white light that followed.

Gai pumped a fist in the air at what looked like a surprisingly quick victory. “Yeah, we scrapped them all--” And then the blazing light cleared from the holoscreen at the front of the bridge, revealing the enemy fleet still out there without a scratch on them. “What the hell?”

“They withstood a Gravity Blast?” Even Yurika couldn't help but startle at this.

Inez turned around to face Yurika at her question, knowing exactly why that just happened. “The enemy is also using a Distortion Field. Neither side will be able to wipe out the other in one sweep.”

“Enemy is reinforcing its numbers from the Chulip 40 kilometers ahead.” Ruri kept up with the status reports, though deep down she just wanted this over with.

At the helm station, Minato looked very unsure of things. “What's going on? How can there be so many in that thing?”

Inez had an answer for that one too, her expression going a little wild as she revealed the truth. “They're not coming out off it, they're coming through it. In a never-ending flow, those warships are being sent through from another place!”

Finally there was an outburst from Gerbera at this revelation. “Tch, I knew those damned things were gates! They can reinforce as much as they please, until they can crush us with sheer numbers.”

Mr. Hoary pulled back from the tactical station and glanced to the captain. “Their field is not invincible; we must fire continuously!”

“Right, Gravity Blast Cannon, standby!”

“It would be lovely if we could actually do that, but our charge level should speak for itself.” Gerbera again moved his hologram, this time close to Yurika as he pulled up another screen next to him displaying the slowly regenerating charge for the Gravity Blast. “We were charging a lot more efficiently back in space...”

“We're not in a vacuum. The reaction power of the Phase Transition Engine isn't enough for continuous Gravity Blast discharges.” Another setback, another explanation from Inez.

Their options had quickly dwindled down to one, and thus Yurika tried to give that order. “Raise the Distortion Field!”

“Wait!” Inez and Gai called out to stop nearly in unison.

It was the pilot who kept talking, shaking his head fiercely at the idea. “We can't do that! The shelter's right underneath us, you raise the field now and it'll make the ceiling collapse on the refugees down there!”

“Take off immediately and raise the field as altitude--” Yurika tried for a third option, only to be cut off by the helmswoman on the level below.

Minato glanced back at Yurika, sounding apologetic. “I'm sorry, but once we've landed, it takes a while before we can take off again.”

Gerbera faced the forward screens, not looking at Yurika or anyone else on the bridge, his words cold as he observed the oncoming Jovian fleet. “I told you so. This is why I said not to land here.”

“Enemy fleet positioning over the Nadesico. The Chulip continues to reinforce the enemy's numbers.” Ruri gave another status report, though it was getting a bit harder to focus on that considering the building anger she was starting to sense from the ship AI.

Inez asked the question that everyone was wondering, “Raise the field, or take the enemy's attack without it?”

Yurika seemed frozen in place, and there was some chatter from Prospector and Admiral Fukube behind her, wondering if this was too much for her. She stood there staring wide-eyed at the tactical screen that showed their oncoming doom, only managing to snap out of it and startle when Gai yelled again.

“Goddammit, we promised we'd save them! We can't just raise the field like this after telling them that...” Gai trailed off, tearing his gaze away from the captain and staring at the display at the front of the bridge himself. Even as much as he hated it, deep down he knew there was probably only one way out of this.

“Enemy vessels have stopped moving. Attack imminent.” Ruri glanced up from her interface panel having said that, just in time to catch something flicker into being in front of her.

A small text window popped up in front of Ruri, obviously from Gerbera given she heard him across the link but he did not voice it audibly for the rest of the crew. The message read, 'If you warned me of this, perhaps I could have done something more than trying to avoid landing here. Can't and _won't_ save them, but I'll try to spare us some of the damage we're about to take.' The window and his hologram vanished a moment later.

* * *

In the depths of the computer core, Gerbera tried his best to focus his power, a glowing rune array soon appearing at his feet as he drew mana to himself. To cover the Nadesico's full length, this would have to be the largest shield spell he'd ever attempted to cast... the calculations were difficult, drawing enough power was somehow even worse.

Incompatibilities between him and the Nadesico? This possibly being one of those loops where magic didn't work well? Either could be true, if not both, but the scientist still pressed on, even unsure as he was of how long he could maintain a shield stretched so thin.

In the moment when Yurika gave the order to raise the Distortion Field, Gerbera cast his spell, soon howling from the effort of extending his power such a distance. Through the ship itself, through the Distortion Field and above even that, to attempt to hold off the rain of Jovian fire. Despite his best hopes, the shield spell was still too thin in places, the enemy gravity beams ghosting through those spots and lancing against the Nadesico's hull. He winced as the first jolt of pain hit him. Still more followed it and left him reeling . . . it seemed he truly couldn't separate himself from the ship after all.

Even so, despite that pain and steadily building exhaustion, Gerbera could still see what was happening on the bridge.

While others may have been visibly upset about the loss of their home, Inez Fressange faced the forward viewscreen and impassively watched the hail of Jovian fire streaking past it. “It may have been that our fates were sealed when the Chulips rained on Mars. Even without the field pressing on them, with this rain of fire...” She trailed off, then glanced back towards the Captain, utterly unshaken. “In any case, it looks like you were unable to become heroes.”

The Gundam scientist could not explain the relief that swept over him at that. At least she understood... better the ship survived in exchange for the colonists, as opposed to everyone dying in a futile attempt to save them. Gerbera likewise couldn't explain why Inez's calm seemed to bolster his resolve . . . if not for that, he would've dropped the shield spell well before the Nadesico could launch, but he was able to hang onto it until they were airborne again and could counterattack.

Exhausted, he let Ruri and the others handle things from that point. Though even as tired as he was, he still felt like he had far more energy than he was supposed to. Curious, he allowed his chest armor to open, and glanced down at his Soul Drive. Sure enough, the flame within was just a little bit brighter than usual. As the rest of the crew fought the Jovians, Gerbera was left wondering just why his Soul Drive reacted that way...


	13. Unhallowed Sanctification (SD Gundam Force/Xenogears)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another few Loops I'm working on happen before this, but since it's finished...
> 
> A Neotopia shattered by a three-way war is hardly a good place to spend a loop... But as Gerbera prays for it to end, he attracts the attention of one known as the Seeker of Power. Grahf offers a conversation, as well as an ability that could change the very nature of the Gundam's Soul Drive...

The distant southern outskirts of Neotopia City were quiet. As well they should be, given the Dark Axis had laid claim to this area some weeks prior. It was not completely devoid of organic life, occasional birds could still be heard chirping in the trees that hadn't been converted to stone, but most humans had evacuated to the city's core.  
  
Sometimes there were skirmishes a bit further north, but the remains of this small village were largely untouched. Well, there were certainly scars left by the Bagu Bagu, not that Gerbera really cared. Any human foolish enough to stay behind had earned their fate. Though, the few shattered statues he could see in the streets only reminded him of why he ventured from the Magna-Musai in the first place...  
  
The professor hadn't bothered with his Dark Axis armor for this trip. It was easier to fly in his Gundam configuration, though his black paint remained as a warning to any who might approach.  
  
Gerbera flew over the village, looking for one building in particular. Surely a place as quaint as this would have one-- ah, the steeple in the distance could only belong to what he was looking for. He came in for a landing in front of the church he'd found, and walked up to the doors. Surprisingly, it wasn't barricaded or anything of the sort, all he had to do was open the doors to make his way inside.  
  
Did the humans here believe whatever higher power they worshiped would protect them from the invasion?  
  
Regardless of belief or whatever passed for it, the raw truth of the matter presented itself as Gerbera forged ahead.  
  
The pews on either side of the aisle were still occupied, though none of them paid the professor any notice. They couldn't, considering these humans were turned to stone quite some time ago. Some were frozen in positions of prayer, the younger children looking to their parents, a few others looking remarkably at peace despite their fate.  
  
Not a thought of apology crossed Gerbera's processors, but their presence did make him question himself. Though, he was doing that for the whole flight to this place, really. If this was their reward for their prayers, what could he expect to gain from coming here and offering his own? Even if it was to a far higher power than any in-Loop god...  
  
But, to see the light of hope fade from Shute's eyes when Captain fell, or the cold fury that gripped Zapper Zaku and Grappler Gouf after losing Destroyer Dom? To say nothing of his own pain regarding those matters and countless others?  
  
No, there was no saving this loop, the least he could do was try to hasten its end. If his efforts proved pointless, there were several other ways to exit... perhaps he could throw himself at that crimson armored wraith that had been haunting both sides since the beginning of the war. Grahf would sometimes assist the Dark Axis, though more often he would slaughter anyone he came across.  
  
Gerbera marched up to the altar and stood before it, bowing his head and allowing his optics to close. Thus he quietly prayed to the one power above all. “Yggdrasil, please . . . this loop must come to an end. There is no use in prolonging this any further...”  
  
At that moment, a cold feeling swept over the church, and a jolt of fear ran through the black Gundam as a [haunting melody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miOizLxOD4E) could be heard playing in the distance.  
  
"That feeling of despair, helplessness, of crying out to an uncaring god...."  
  
Gerbera instantly went on his guard as the Seeker of Power entered the church, black cloak whirling.  
  
"I know it well. A feeling I find most.... _nostalgic_."  
  
Though on his guard, all sensors otherwise pointed towards Grahf, Gerbera kept his gaze focused on the altar in front of him. "You know it? Even so far as to feel nostalgic? This is not something to feel nostalgic over."  
  
The masked man laughed to himself, sitting in one of the pews. "Heh heh heh. You'd be surprised, Professor." He gestured with his gauntlet, eyes glowing a baleful red, "Despair and fury against god is what created me, after all."  
  
At that, Gerbera faced the Seeker of Power, his optics seemingly a colder blue than usual. "Hmm, that is something we seem to have in common; despair and fury sparked what I became as well."  
  
Grahf's eyes narrowed as he stood up, walking over to the black robot. "Why do you seek power, Professor?"  
  
My, that was something of a loaded question, wasn't it? Gerbera's guard went up a hair as the masked man stepped closer, though he focused on formulating his answer. "Why? In Baseline, it was to better serve Zeong. Now, I seek it to better ensure my freedom from him, and to pull others from his grip. In other loops, perhaps more for defending myself, or to see what I truly can be capable of..."  
  
Grahf closed his eyes, standing still a moment. "Who is Zeong? I am unfamiliar with this loop."  
  
"He is the leader of the Dark Axis, although for the most part he defers the army's actions to me, as he is greatly damaged at the start of most loops. An enormous mech, with an equally huge Soul Drive; it was with that device that he pulled me under his thrall. His goal is to destroy the multiverse, at least the 'multiverse' in this loop..."  
  
The professor paused a moment, then added something. "I've had the Grima Patch applied to me, so he won't be loop aware through that route, thankfully."  
  
Grahf snorted at that, "My activation came before said patch existed. And it would not have worked in my branch regardless. Continue."  
  
A sigh from the shorter robot, and he went on. "I had only been online for a few hours, before being sent off on the mission I was built for... only to have things go horribly awry and end up lost in space. I drifted out there alone, in the cold and dark for what felt like an eternity, crying for help to have no one hear me, questioning why I was dealt such a terrible fate."  
  
Gerbera quieted for a few seconds, a shudder running down his frame. "Then, as broken as I was, that was when Zeong found me. I... in Baseline I did not have anything left to resist with, even if I hadn't been in space for so long I doubt it would have mattered."  
  
Grahf's eyes opened at that remark, "And what did you do when you realized that he intended your destruction along with everything else?"  
  
The professor's optics slid shut, and he bowed his head slightly. "I agreed with him, I joined his cause. All those who I thought cared, none of them managed to save me. It would be far later when I discovered the true reason why that was, but at the outset, it seemed I was abandoned to die in deep space, none of the SDG's vaunted virtues actually mattered . . .”  
  
Here, Gerbera looked up again, the pale blue of his optics glowing a little brighter. “Why, then, did anything else matter? With Zeong's influence amplifying my doubts and fears, I decided I would avenge myself on the fools who sent me on a suicide mission, and then cast all things to oblivion." Saying all that now, he knew how it sounded. Thank goodness the circumstances of his Awakening allowed him to change his mind. He couldn't help but shake his head at his own foolishness. "Of course I no longer believe that, but at the time..."  
  
"Why not? I completely understand your motivations. Revenge is an excellent motivator," the man interrupted.  
  
If Gerbera hadn't been stuck in the same loop as Grahf for so long, he might've been a little shocked at this, but right now it barely made him bat an optic. "I can say I still am motivated by revenge, only against Zeong himself. To be kept a slave to his whims, to be made to fight my own family... the moment I grew strong enough, I killed him as swiftly as I could."  
  
Grahf leaned down, a sadistic glee emanating from his featureless mask, "And how did you feel when you murdered him for what he did to you?"  
  
Gerbera was quiet, though that quickly changed as some faint laughter emerged from his synthesizer. It steadily built to a louder and rather malevolent cackle. "Hahahaha, it was glorious to see him fearing ME for a change! Perhaps I could have avoided drawing it out so far, but it was just so satisfying..."  
  
Grahf joined in the laughter, red eyes blazing, "Hahahahahaha! Exactly what I was saying." He looked the small robot in his blue eyes, " _Power is a means to an end_."  
  
The armored figure gestured dramatically, "With power, one can attain the heights of glory, the greatest of vengeances, and the means to protect that which is yours."  
  
Grahf slowly raised his left gauntlet in an open palm, back of the hand facing Gerbera. "And that...is why I am here. I have found myself bored slaughtering the meager rabble of this loop. But then?" His arm began glowing a blood red color, his glowing eyes intensifying.  
  
**"I found you."**  
  
His shoulders shaking in mirth, the man continued, "A soul bound by darkness. Thirsting for vengeance. A lust for blood and power." His fingers flexing, his eyes narrowing as he finished speaking. "Thus Professor Gerbera of the Dark Axis, I am here to say this. **Doth thou desire the power?** "  
  
Gerbera blinked in surprise, though he fought down the urge to take a step backwards. He regarded Grahf's glowing hand with something like awe. What was being offered was so very tempting, especially with his bloodlust already stirred awake. But even with most everyone he cared about dead for this loop, something within still made Gerbera hesitate. He was likely going to go for it anyway, depending on Grahf's answer. "This power of yours... would I be dancing on your strings as opposed to Zeong's if I were to accept?"  
  
The man shook his head, "No. I do not care what you do with it as long as you do not interfere in my affairs. What I do, is use a variation of my baseline abilities to draw out your own hidden potential and power. When I use this in baseline, I overclock the ability, drawing enormous power, but also inciting madness and likely a death sentence on those I use it on."  
  
He sighed, "In truth, those whom I use it on are experiments. Tools to temper and test my son, so that he might be strong enough for me to use later when I planned to steal his body so I could kill DEUS."  
  
Grahf looked the professor in the eyes, red eyes shining, "What I am going to do to you, is a variation I developed through exploration into my own abilities and mastery of the dark arts of sorcery and martial arts. I will draw forth your power slowly, enabling you to tap into your inner darkness and negative emotions as a power source."  
  
He seemed to assume a smirking expression behind his mask, "If you are consumed by it and driven to madness by your own power? That is your failing and nothing to do with me. But the success or failure of what I will grant you is entirely in your hands."  
  
Gerbera listened to all that, calculating the pros and cons within his mind. This could be very risky indeed, given the need to maintain control, but discipline was needed in the case of any power he gained. The main niggling issue was the possibility of being enslaved once more, but that didn't seem to be a problem here. He faced Grahf, even going so far as to bare his Soul Drive, as the technique would need to be applied there. "Well then, if that is the case... I DO desire the power."  
  
Grahf extended his arm, the glow intensifying, "MY FIST IS THE DIVINE BREATH!"  
  
Grahf twisted his body, lunging forward to grip the Gundam's Soul Drive in his hand, "BLOSSOM, O FALLEN SEED, AND DRAW UPON THY HIDDEN POWERS!"  
  
He tightened his grip, roaring the final words as the energy started flowing slowly into Gerbera, "GRANT UNTO THEE, THE POWER OF THE GLORIOUS DESTRUCTION OF THE MOTHER!"  
  
Searing pain shortly became all Gerbera knew as the Seeker of Power's ability reached deep into his Soul Drive, his very existence itself, steadily fanning the flame within into something so much more intense. It hurt beyond most things he had ever experienced, but he stood firm, allowing Grahf's power to do its job. Just the faintest hints of the end result were apparent currently, but behind his face mask the professor was already starting to grin. This would be worth the effort...  
  
Grahf threw his head back in malevolent laughter, " YE SHALL BE AS GODS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
After a moment, the light receded and Grahf withdrew his arm, the gauntlet falling back beneath his cloak. “How do you feel, Professor?"  
  
It took Gerbera a bit to really focus on the question, he came closer to passing out than he would've liked. But he shook it off pretty quickly, again securing his Soul Drive within his armor. How he felt? That took a second to think about. He didn't feel all that different? Even so, he could still sense the new energy within him, just waiting to be used. "Perhaps slightly out of sorts, but recovering. As for my power... ahahah, it should be very interesting facing Zeong now!"  
  
Grahf started walking to the door, the shadow of Alpha Weltall descending outside. " _Show me_."  
  
Gerbera followed Grahf outside, though he would lead the way to the Dark Axis Fortress. It was a fair distance away, but still parked on the same world, so it would not be a painfully long flight. Eventually there it was, the purple spires and spikes of the huge construct that ferried Zeong across the galaxy looming before the Gundam and the larger mech following behind.  
  
There were flocks of Doga Bombers guarding the airspace around the fortress. Gerbera was tagged as a friendly, currently, so they did not immediately move to attack. Though even if he could get away with just avoiding all those Dogas, a low growl emerged from the Gundam as he watched them. These were all thralls of the General, too weak minded to resist. The newly enhanced power within his Soul Drive was pulsing rather intensely, almost demanding to be used. Better he worked out the kinks on these small fry as opposed to going for Zeong first, right? At that he poured on more thrust and plowed right into the center of one of the flocks, slagging two Dogas on the way there and starting to pick off the rest with ki attacks.  
  
Within the cockpit of Alpha Weltall, Grahf sat in a meditative pose, energy coming off his armor in a red haze. "Don't disappoint me, Professor. _Unleash your wrath_."  
  
With this first group of Dogas down, the professor turned his eyes on the rest, almost hungrily. No, none of these trifles would escape his wrath, and he switched from ki strikes to more powerful Midchildan spells. The color of his mana happened to be a deep red, something that his observer might find amusing. Alternating beams from Axel Shooters and Divine Busters scythed through the hordes that dared stand before Gerbera. It was only a matter of minutes before the skies around the fortress were entirely cleared of enemies.  
  
But even this wasn't enough, how could it be? The energies within his Soul Drive drove him onward, his fists suddenly wreathed in dark power. Having seen Captain perform such a feat so many times, Gerbera knew what to do. His thrusters roared to full burn and he darted forward, punching through the very walls of the fortress as he flew.  
  
And through it all, the silent imposing form of Alpha Weltall followed in his wake, seemingly unnoticed by any who had escaped Gerbera's fury.  
  
Eventually the Gundam had punched through enough walls to be hovering in the vast central chamber of the fortress. The only target remaining was the immobile form of Zeong in the rear of the room. There was a rumble from the general, as he likely sensed Gerbera's killing intent from well before the smaller robot got anywhere near the fortress. His own Soul Drive flared, to reach out and put this rebellious minion in his place, but nothing happened and Gerbera still soared ever closer. With that tactic a failure, Zeong's two giant hands suddenly went active, flying forward to shoot Gerbera down.  
  
Even this was for naught, the professor was swift enough to avoid the opening particle beam salvo, and launched to attack before the second could even finish charging. Gerbera let loose a howl of rage as he landed on the closest huge drone, and tore its fingers off one by one with his bare hands. He leaped off of it a moment later, his momentum and a ki blast knocking the remains to the floor of the room, then he began tearing apart the other one.  
  
Hovering at the back, Alpha Weltall stood in a military stance with it's arms folded, Grahf holding a similar pose inside the machine. "Strike without hesitation. Kill without remorse. **Destroy all that is before you**."  
  
Soon enough, Zeong's other hand fell to ruins. With those last defenses destroyed, all that remained was the General himself. Gerbera glanced up at the much larger mech, eerie laughter emerging from him as he did. Then suddenly the professor's entire form was cloaked in the same dark energy from before, and he blazed forward, plunging straight into Zeong's black heart.  
  
Even with his Soul Drive destroyed, Zeong was only reeling, not actually dead. With that, the Gundam still within the General's now empty chest cavity focused his power, drawing on everything he had to fuel an outpouring of ki strong enough to vaporize what remained of the former ruler of the Dark Axis. The wall of the fortress the General was mounted to was utterly destroyed as well, allowing the light from outside to stream in.  
  
Gerbera hovered there, still wreathed in dark energy, taking in how _easy_ all of that was.  
  
A slow muffled clapping sound echoed in the room around him.  
  
Hovering in mid air in front of Alpha Weltall, Grahf slowly applauded the destruction of the dark general. "How did you enjoy **The Power** , Professor?"  
  
The Gundam suddenly focused on Grahf's voice, something feral glinting in his blue optics. For a moment it might've seemed as if he was going to lunge forward, to attack the only other being remaining. But only for a moment, as his optics regained their true focus, and the dark energy surrounding him faded away. A sigh of satisfaction escaped him. "It was very entertaining indeed..."  
  
Grahf nodded, hovering closer, his eyes seeming to scan the robot. "Your control is flawed. You wasted considerable energy. And do not think I did not notice that you almost lost yourself towards the end."  
  
The masked man adjusted his position, looking Gerbera in the optics, "I have granted you **The Power**. Now, are you prepared to learn how to control it? You passed my test."  
  
At the criticism, Gerbera did not flinch; he had barely managed to return to himself a moment ago. As for the rest, there was only one proper response. He straightened to attention, focus on Grahf alone. "I will learn to master this; those not deserving of my wrath should not have to experience it."  
  
"No." Grahf folded his arms in front of him, "You are now one of MY disciples. As you have not fallen into madness, that means that you will learn to master this ability under my tutelage."  
  
That was... honestly a relief. He might've managed something, but likely not the same sort of fine control Grahf could teach him. Gerbera nodded, accepting all that would likely come after this.  
  
"I am over 500 years old in my baseline. And I awaken often in the past. As I am a pseudo-anchor for the Xenogears branch, this leaves me with considerable time." Grahf floated over to Alpha Weltall. "As a result, you can be reassured that only a few loopers are superior to me in terms of martial arts skills. I am the founding grandmaster of the style that Fei/ID, my sons, and I use. And now you Professor, assuming we have time remaining in this loop? Will be joining our ranks. And afterwards? There is a special project I'm working on, one I think you might be interested in...."

* * *

  
Monad sipped at a cup of tea and watched the proceedings from his monitor, of these first few steps of master and student. From what he could tell, that loop still had plenty of time. For the best, really; otherwise he would've needed to nudge it to be longer.  
  
That little black robot... Grahf certainly came across others he had much in common with, but Gerbera was practically a kindred spirit. In some ways he was _worse_ than the Seeker of Power. Gerbera was far more selfish, unapologetic for most misdeeds unless they happened to disappoint the few he had bonds with, and even as calm as his facade was, his anger at the world was bubbling below the surface just waiting to erupt. It might well be an actual challenge for Grahf to temper the Gundam's rage into something more finely honed.  
  
At that thought, the Admin raised his cup in toast to the grandmaster of the Fong Wong style. “I wish you luck with that one, Grahf. Chances are you're going to need it.”  
  
Before Monad could muse on it further, there was a sudden knocking at his office door. Ah, the other Admin involved in this, arriving at last. Well, he certainly wasn't one to leave a concerned associate waiting. “Come!”  
  
With permission granted, Bishamonten entered the room. He was in his typical kimono rather than his battle armor at least, though the tight lipped smile said plenty about his mood. There was a certain amount of worry there too, though. “One of your Loopers has--” At that he saw what was on Monad's monitor, and his eyes narrowed. “Oh, you're already aware?”  
  
“Of course. Grahf bestowing his gift does have potential to damage the Tree, if the subject's will is not strong enough. I was keeping watch to make sure of things, though the Seeker of Power has a very discerning eye. Even if he had misjudged, if Gerbera was consumed by it, Grahf would have quickly sealed him and removed The Power from his systems.” Monad reached to the monitor, did a bit of typing and brought up a smaller window in the corner with the Gundam's general stats. “As it is, he seems to be taking quite well to it so far.”  
  
“Yes, now. Surely you noticed he almost lost himself towards the end of that little rampage? It set off one of my alerts, that's why I came running over here so quickly.” Bishamonten crossed his arms. “I'm not sure it's such a good idea to allow him to keep that ability...”  
  
“Why? As you confirmed yourself, he is fine right now. Before this, Gerbera did not have much way of venting everything held within in a productive manner, now he does.” A pause, Monad letting out an amused laugh. “Rather, he will, as soon as Grahf has a few loops worth of time knocking some sense into him.”  
  
“Hmm, I hadn't thought of it that way.” Bishamonten let the idea roll around in his head for a moment, his gaze brightening as the true implications of all of this finally dawned on him. “By the Tree, this is exactly what I've been searching for! Gerbera isn't as stable as he could be, and hasn't improved much over time. Captain Gundam and the other loopers try their best to give direction, but they go too easy on him, let him get away with far too much...”  
  
“And Grahf will not. He did manage to train his son, ID, after all... he won't tolerate any temper tantrums or misbehavior, and will push the professor to his limits, to the point where Gerbera won't have any other recourse but to surpass them.” Monad put down his tea mug and began to type at the monitor again, this time bringing up a few confirmation prompts, that would have Grahf and the Gundam looping together for the next few iterations. It could be extended if required. There was a faintly amused smile on his face. “Are you sure about this? I can't imagine it will be pleasant for a god of warriors to watch one of his strongest charges enduring the Seeker of Power's training...”  
  
There was resolve in Bishamonten's eyes now, and he reached to the monitor to give his digital signature. “Every warrior must know defeat. Besides that, I am a god of healing as well... nothing else has helped him, at least not enough. If this is what it takes for Gerbera to sort himself out, then so be it. Whatever faults Grahf possesses, he is a man who understands how to draw forth potential, just as his ability does for the darkness within hearts.”  
  
“Any opinion on Grahf's 'special project', then?”  
  
“Yes, this will certainly net him another recruit, but other than that? The 'now' is more concerning. We can deal with the 'eventually' when it comes. For the moment, it's time for our dear Professor Gerbera to visit the School of Hard Knocks.”  
  
Monad entered his signature in as well, thus setting the path their two loopers would take for the next while. The results of this could go any number of directions, but it would certainly be interesting to watch!


	14. Depths of Humanity's Power (SD Gundam Force/Xenogears)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the same Loop as Unhallowed Sanctification, Gerbera continues his martial arts training with Grahf. It's difficult going at best, especially when the Seeker of Power insists the Gundam take a human form when they spar.
> 
> He knows well enough that some things are only learned through pain, and thus the professor endures this as he has many other things, hoping to find whatever it is he's missing...

Again, Gerbera flew across the landscape of a ruined Neotopia. But instead of searching for solace that was not given, now he sought out the Seeker of Power once more. It was still the same loop where he met Grahf, likely extended due to Admin meddling. Though he couldn't really blame them, given the volatile nature of **The Power**. To avoid damage to Yggdrasil, it was imperative that he was allowed time to learn how to use it.  
  
The first few training sessions... while they hadn't been complete disasters, Grahf had quickly tired of Gerbera's need to constantly question things, so most were very short for one reason or another. The Gundam scientist had known it wouldn't be pleasant, but was having his Soul Drive ripped out and getting chi channeled into it until he submitted really necessary? Not to mention being forcibly changed into a human for a while?  
  
Eventually the peculiar set of energy readings that belonged to Grahf crossed his sensor grid as he flew over the same small village where he initially met the Seeker of Power, thus Gerbera came in for a landing nearby. The Gundam found his quarry in a recreational park of some sort. He was cautious as he made his way through the grass, Pocketing his thruster array as he stepped closer to the huge boulder that Grahf was floating over in a meditative pose.  
  
The black armored robot didn't even have to say anything, the Seeker of Power glancing up from his meditation and standing as he approached. “So, are you going to have an attitude this time, or are you actually ready to learn?”  
  
“If by 'attitude' you mean simply questioning why I had to be human for your training...” Gerbera kept his distance for the moment, though he knew that ultimately wouldn't matter.  
  
“Because, my foolish student,” At that, the eyes of Grahf's mask glowed a deeper crimson, “If you do not understand the concept of pain, of exhaustion, of having nothing more to give and still needing to do more... _You cannot appreciate the brilliance and power of the human spirit_. Your refusal to understand the power and limitations of the organic, is holding you back. That is not to say that the cybernetic is not worthwhile; I myself have Woken as Sigma in the Mega Man Loops. But no machine can equal the power of humanity.”  
  
With all of that said, Grahf settled back down to resume his meditating, though he had one last thing to say. “Meditate on this, Gerbera. And come back to me when you have something worthwhile to say instead of wasting my time.”  
  
Something similar happened the last time he found Grahf, getting dismissed to go meditate without even so much as a spar happening. Gerbera shut his optics for a moment, trying to fight off the building frustration. But, he did think he had something in mind already, thus spoke his thoughts. “Not even a machine with a soul, like myself?” One hand strayed towards his chest armor, his Soul Drive just beneath it. “Although, I suppose it is telling, that this device is meant to gain power by synchronizing with a human.”  
  
That managed to catch the martial artist's attention, and he glanced to his student again. “ **The Power** will allow you to bypass this restriction.” Grahf shook his head. “But no, even a machine with a soul like you, unless you understand what it is to be human, will not be able to advance. There is a clarity, a focus, in exhaustion, that a machine cannot comprehend. That feeling of desperation, of helplessness, of drawing everything left within your body to win? That, is part of the essence of martial arts.”  
  
Grahf raised one arm from beneath his cloak, pointing directly at Gerbera's Soul Drive. “By the time I'm done with you, you will no longer need to use others for power. You will have your own.”  
  
“That was the reason I took up **The Power** in the first place. Captain has the same problem, when he does not loop alongside his partner. He compensates with other methods, I do the same, but that doesn't seem to be enough in my case.”  
  
There was a snort from the master of the Fong Wong style. “Because he likely has looped into organic forms, and understands the point I have been pummeling into your alloyed skull.”  
  
Gerbera crossed his arms in front of him. “He is an Anchor, that's to be expected. And I have looped as organic a few times; the Tree does not play favorites, after all.”  
  
In a flash, the Seeker of Power crossed the distance between his meditation rock and the robot before him, lashing out with the arm he'd pointed with earlier and grabbing Gerbera around the throat. He lifted the machine's 192 kilos with absolute ease. “You clearly did not understand the lesson, then.” With that he began to invoke his power, muttering the first words of a spell.  
  
“Damn the Tree, not this again--” Gerbera struggled as best he could, but as before, his limbs were far too short and could not get enough strength behind them to break the human's grip.  
  
“ _Binding forces heed my call, let soul and spirit be bound within a cage of flesh. Form of man thou shalt be cursed with, to learn the pain and glory of the heart..._ SHI-YO!” Now Grahf reached out with his free arm, gripping the Gundam's head roughly in the middle of his v-fin, channeling the transformation magic through the chakra point there.  
  
Gerbera gave one last valiant effort to free himself, but by this point he had gone so numb and cold from the spell's power, his kick fell far short of his target. Nothing to do but endure it now, though he could not shake the feeling of wrongness as his body began to change; gundanium and circuitry shifting to flesh and blood. It wasn't exactly painful, just very uncomfortable and disconcerting.  
  
“ _Bound within flesh and bone, let blood and ichor flow within... A body formed from aether's grasp, to teach a lesson not yet took..._ ” Without any other sort of fanfare, Grahf dropped Gerbera with one swift motion, leaving the soon to be human laying sprawled in the grass. “Maybe this time you'll figure out what I'm trying to teach you, Professor.”  
  
The shift finished as Gerbera laid there unmoving. He shook off any lingering bits of numbness pretty quickly, then sat upright, idly dusting a few bits of grass out of his dark purple hair. His eyes remained the icy blue they always were, and once he stood up he would be taller than his mobile citizen form, but still shorter than Grahf. The transformation thankfully came with clothing, just a simple grey short sleeved top and black pants, well-suited for martial arts.  
  
For the moment Gerbera stayed where he was, eyeing the Seeker of Power with a faint frown. “Ugh, I know this is necessary, now, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.”  
  
A rumbling chuckle emerged from the masked man. “Until you learn to embrace and enjoy suffering, even your own, you will not progress. Turn your hatred for me, for all things into power. When you understand the depths that a human heart can sink to, then you'll understand the power of organic life forms.”  
  
With that, Gerbera rolled to his feet, and took up the usual fighting stance associated with Grahf's style. One thing he appreciated about being a human, he felt a lot quicker without all his armor weighing him down. Even though the reaction times still left something to be desired. “I still say you take machines too lightly... an artificial intelligence CAN feel despair just as keenly, trust me.”  
  
“But can you fight with a broken bone? Can you force yourself to move while bleeding to death? _Can you breathe, as you're being choked?_ ” Grahf tossed his cloak aside, and then darted forward, starting the spar in earnest.  
  
The two fighters exchanged blows for a time, the strikes and ki blasts that weren't parried or taken occasionally putting small craters in the ground when they missed their targets.  
  
It was towards the end of a particularly harried series of blocks and dodges that Gerbera found his thoughts straying, still wondering just what it was that was so special about organics, about humans. Even looping, while he did know a few stunning examples, what Grahf was trying to say still didn't quite register.  
  
As always, his teacher was quick to pick up on his straying focus, this time punishing him for it with a palm strike to the jaw. “Idiot student! Do not become distracted!”  
  
Gerbera got knocked backward a few feet by the impact, but thankfully hadn't taken much damage other than to his pride. “Tch, right...” He quickly closed to melee range again, lashing out with a kick--  
  
Grahf merely snatched his student's foot out of the air, and twisted until he heard the sharp crack of bones breaking like twigs. Again he let Gerbera drop to the ground, though he did not expect the scientist to stay there. “Get up.”  
  
A growl emerged from the Gundam turned human, Gerbera glaring up at his master. “Should have known you would do that, the second you brought it up...” Never one to stay down for long, he struggled to rise, though the jolting pain of putting weight on a broken ankle had him wincing, and nearly fell again.  
  
“Pain is life. It is the proof you exist!” Grahf pulled his arm back, readying to strike. “Watch my moves... and stand on the broken limb. The spell ensures you will not die. Because of it, your spirit is bound here and the loop will not shift you to a new location.” His fists started glowing, his tone of voice indicating he was smiling nastily behind his mask. “Of course, the downside is that you cannot evade me.”  
  
A steadying breath, a bit more focus applied, and Gerbera forced himself to stand. The slight strain to his voice was the only sign of just how much pain he was still in. “Not that I would want to, currently; I'm trying to learn something here.”  
  
“Finally, you're starting to understand.” The Seeker of Power didn't even bother to gesture to his student to try and attack, his glowing fists and his stance were plenty of challenge. “Come at me, AI trash. Show me that you have something worthy compared to the mediocrity of your brethren.”  
  
There was a snarl from the former robot, Gerbera charging to strike. Not wanting to damage his ankle much worse, he tried to stick to punches, though occasionally tossed in a kick from his good leg to keep Grahf guessing. “You are right in that, very few AI have survived the things I have!”  
  
“And what did you gain by that survival?” The masked warrior easily saw through Gerbera's current strategy, tagging a nerve cluster on the professor's good leg, and simply backhanding the latest attempt to punch him. “Stop wasting my time with this limited assault! If you can't attack with all four limbs, you will lose!”  
  
This latest reprisal had Gerbera staggering backwards, though while he would've probably fallen weeks ago, here he managed to keep himself upright. Somewhere deep within, something was trying to spark to life, almost like his Soul Drive but still somehow different. Though that currently paled in comparison to his frustration with all of this, bubbling below the surface. Again he launched to the attack, using all of his limbs despite the pain. “What I gained? Ruthlessness, cunning, perseverance...”  
  
Wrong answer. Grahf only intensified his counterattacks, though the words seemed to hit that much harder. “Weakness! Idiocy! Chained to another despotic machine!” His next kick sent his student flying. “You gained nothing but suffering serving under the General! Everything you've gained, is because your friends and your brother gave the opportunity!”  
  
The Seeker of Power watched Gerbera try to stand again, bellowing out his boldest question yet. “ **Where is your OWN power, Professor?** ”  
  
A gasp, blue eyes went wide, then they flared with rage. Gerbera almost seemed to teleport across the distance between him and his master, fury radiating from his form. His fists and feet struck hammerblows as he roared out his grievances, earlier pain only a distant annoyance at best. “Do you think I haven't asked myself that question, ever since my very first Loop?! I had NOTHING of my own when I first Awoke! Not even my own name!”  
  
Grahf practically cackled at this turn of events, still taking the professor's blows with ease and continuing to push him with his words. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! AND WHAT HAVE YOU GAINED SINCE?! Where is the proof that Professor Gerbera exists?!”  
  
“The name I chose, knowledge of things scarcely dreamed of in my Baseline, friends I would have never known, and power claimed from every corner of the multiverse!”  
  
Gerbera's next punch was caught and parried, Grahf following it up with a blast of ki. “And what have you done to earn it? What have you done to prove you have grown? _What makes you think you're not just another murderous AI waiting to kill everything around it?!_ ” That last question was punctuated by a savage kick to his opponent's face.  
  
The professor was again knocked backwards by the boot to the head, having to take a moment to spit out a bit of blood, but otherwise stood his ground. “I have fought for every inch of what is mine! Against Yggdrasil's whims, against what the fools of the SDG think is right, and even against my own weak heart!”  
  
“And what is in your heart? What do you want? Why is the SDG wrong?” This time Grahf teleported behind Gerbera, a spin kick casting the Gundam turned human into one of the walls surrounding the park they were fighting in. “Answer the question, Professor.”  
  
The impact shattered said wall, bricks and other masonry turning to dust, though of course Gerbera was made of tougher stuff. He stood again, perhaps a bit shakily, brushing some of that dust from his hair. “What lies within my heart? Doubt, fear, pain... but those are no reason to hold back. The SDG is wrong, because it was simply so stifling to be there . . . I cannot fit into their tiny box, not anymore. And what I want . . . freedom is one of those things, I suppose...”  
  
Gerbera took advantage of this brief lull in the battle, catching his breath as best he could, even with his injuries. His teacher seemed to be waiting for him to go on, and so he did, though there was no mistaking the tiredness in his voice. “To have people that understand me, and not drive them away with the thorns around my heart. And to have the power to defend them and all else that is mine, beyond even the strength I have now.”  
  
Somewhere in that tiredness, in voicing those thoughts, a few more pieces fell into place, but he still did not have the entire picture. Not yet, anyway.  
  
“Freedom from what? Keep going, you're starting to understand.” Grahf began to float into the air, lifted aloft by his ki.  
  
The scientist still on the ground considered his opponent rising above him for a second, then leaped to attack again, leading with a flurry of punches before having to drop back down. “Freedom from the narrow worldviews of the SDG, of the General, or even anyone else! I am MORE than someone who just takes orders!”  
  
Grahf continued to drift backwards, though shortly stopped to begin charging for what looked like a massive ki blast. “Then who are you? What does Professor Gerbera stand for?”  
  
Gerbera's eyes went a bit wide at this, but he quickly regained focus, taking his master's swiftly building energy as the challenge it was and starting to charge his own power. “Who I am? I am a creator as well as a destroyer, and one who would stand beside those others Yggdrasil has failed in one way or another! Not a guardian or a knight like my brother, but I am still a warrior!”  
  
“What do you stand for? There's nothing wrong with being a killer, Professor. The question is: _why are you willing to do so?_ ” Grahf brought his hands forward as he hovered there, energy blazing between them as he prepared to unleash it. “What is the truth of your existence, student?” The gathered ki flared to life in the next instant, rushing for his target in the distance.  
  
Another blazing flash of ki answered Grahf's beam, Gerbera standing his ground and holding his teacher's power back with his own. His odds of winning were microscopic at best, but still he kept pushing, unwilling to surrender. It was in this moment that he roared out his answer for the entire loop to hear! “The freedom to choose my own destiny, that is my truth!”  
  
At that, the Seeker of Power's eyes narrowed behind his mask, and he started laughing, while still maintaining his ki blast. “Hahahahaha! Do you see it?! Do you see what you've done?!” He intensified the beam, pushing his student even further. “Do you feel the burning power within your soul, GERBERA?!”  
  
What he felt flickering within his heart earlier, what was blazing like a firestorm there now... was that his own power? His own desire to keep going, without a Soul Drive being involved in any way? The final piece fell into place, the wonder of finally understanding filtering through his mind, but he didn't let that distract him. He was about to fall over, pain trying to drag him down, but again Gerbera pulled strength from within, to match Grahf's ki. “I feel it! This is what you meant, wasn't it?!”  
  
“Now do you understand what I have been driving at?” Without effort, Grahf cast even more power into his beam, enough that it would quickly overwhelm lesser mortals or Loopers alike. “It is only when we are most desperate, at the end of our rope, that we show our true selves.”  
  
Others would have fallen at this point, but sheer stubborn tenacity made sure that Gerbera only dropped to his knees. Unlikely as it was, somehow he drew upon even more power, again standing his ground in spite of the huge gap between their strengths.  
  
The Seeker of Power kept speaking, continuing his earlier line of thought. “A machine doesn't understand desperation, exhaustion, the feeling of one's body breaking down. **The feeling of the only thing keeping you standing, being your own willpower.** ”  
  
Indeed, Gerbera's will was the only thing keeping him upright at this point. It was a struggle to even focus beyond that, but still managed to speak. “There is understanding... but it's so limited compared to this, too limited...”  
  
Again, Grahf questioned his student, not so much pushing as trying to subtly guide. “Limited how? You're so close to ascending the mountain...”  
  
Gerbera shook his head, more at himself than anything. “What it is to be desperate, what it is to break... thought I knew what it was, but it's not the same while a machine. For a human, it's more intense, there is more on the line...”  
  
That, finally, seemed to be the correct answer. Even as he kept up his ki blast, satisfaction practically beamed from the Seeker of Power at his sometimes obstinate student managing to cross over this stumbling block. “Finally you begin to understand. You have opened your mind.”  
  
“The strength of humanity... it is why the General and I failed. And not understanding this is one reason why I've been having such difficulties as of late.” The words were slightly tinged with regret, Gerbera's thoughts straying to so many people he came across while Looping, only to dismiss them as weak simply because they were human. Even with the ones he liked, that feeling was still there, buried below everything else. Ironic, going on about his freedom earlier, and yet Zeong's influence was still coloring his thoughts. Well, at least being aware of it, meant he could start trying to correct it.  
  
Grahf powered down and began to descend to the ground, dismissing Gerbera's own ki beam with a wave of his hand. “This, is the power my son used to destroy Deus.”  
  
Without having to maintain the strength to keep defending himself, Gerbera nearly fell onto his face, though managed to catch himself with one arm at the last second. He panted roughly for a moment, his purple hair slicked with sweat, mostly focused on recovering until he managed to look up at his teacher again. “Yes, even right now, at the very start of my understanding, I can see this.”  
  
“You have taken the first step to greater understanding. You may rest now.” A simple snap of his fingers was all it took for Grahf to release the spell he cast earlier.  
  
Gerbera's form gradually shifted back to normal, the metal and circuitry of a Gundam returning to him. Despite being able to sense things with far finer accuracy than a human, the world seemed oddly muted somehow. The damage to his right ankle had vanished along with the pain, but his energy usage had still carried over, leaving him at very low charge indeed. He pulled himself into a sitting position at least, bowing his head to Grahf for a moment. “Thank you, shisho...”  
  
“However? You will voluntarily arrive for training in a human form until I decide otherwise. Should you refuse? I will exact punishment upon you however I see fit. Am I understood?”  
  
The professor straightened a bit, too tired to really put that much effort into it. “Yes, sir!”  
  
“Once you have advanced further? _You will be sparring against my sons._ ”  
  
The Gundam tilted his head slightly at that, wondering just why that felt so grave. Still, Grahf seemed fairly sure he was capable of reaching that point, otherwise he likely wouldn't have bothered with this to begin with. Gerbera almost sounded eager. “A goal to reach and something to look forward to; I will be ready when the time comes.”  
  
There was a chuckle from Grahf. He was probably smirking underneath that mask of his... “Though I surpass them in skill and mastery of the martial arts? Their power exceeds mine by orders of magnitude.”  
  
Gerbera blinked in surprise. That dampened his enthusiasm a bit, but there were lots of other Loopers stronger than him currently. Testing his skill against the true masters of this style would be a good way to improve... “You did say they killed Deus, after all...”  
  
Grahf went on, providing a bit more detail on the true difference in their power. “Perhaps you do not understand the level of difficulty in that task. The Zohar, the core unit that powered Deus, survived the Big Bang _unscathed_. It was perfect in the three dimensional world.”  
  
To put things in more scientific terms like that? Oh, now Gerbera understood just fine, if he were still human he likely would've paled a few shades. If he wasn't already on the ground he certainly would've dropped to it. A bit of nervous laughter escaped him, though he managed to keep his voice from wavering too much. “Ah, and so they had to destroy something like that...”  
  
Seemingly oblivious to his student's sudden nervousness, Grahf swelled with pride. “Such is the power of the Contact, buoyed by the strength of humanity. I, however, possess a weaker version of that power. To use an expression I've heard, I have the 'Chinese knockoff' version. They have the original pure one.”  
  
In other circumstances Gerbera would've blamed his shellshocked state on how tired he was, but just sparring with Grahf alone proved his sons' power. To think they were even stronger than him, with this power of the Contact, whatever it was? The Admins wouldn't allow that strength to go beyond them. “I imagine this is locked to you and them alone...”  
  
“Our Admin was **very** clear on that point. The power of the Contact cannot be obtained by any other Looper.”  
  
All in all it seemed the lesson for the day was over, and Gerbera would have moved to leave, if the very action of starting to do that hadn't immediately set off his low charge warning in his heads up display. As much as he didn't particularly want to ask, he didn't have much choice, either. “Hmm, I don't seem to have enough remaining charge to make it back to the Magna-Musai. Would you mind if I rested here for a while?”  
  
“You will meditate on what you have learned today while doing so.” Though it wasn't negative, Grahf's tone said it all; if his student remained in his presence, he would be learning something even while resting.  
  
For his part, Gerbera held in a grumble. Sleep mode would've been lovely, but so long as he didn't move, he could still charge right there. For what it was worth, Grahf did have a point. “Very well.” He allowed his optics to close, various lights on his chassis dimming but not entirely going out, and he began to think on the events of the day.  
  
In the distance, Grahf smiled to himself and produced a canvas and easel from his Pocket, along with paints and a brush. He took an appraising glance at his student for a moment, before setting brush to canvas, beginning to capture the silent robot in this quiet moment.


	15. Elevator Glitch? (RWBY / SD Gundam Force)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another new term for you all, the elevator glitch. Basically a small group of Loopers ends up starting their loop in an elevator, which then travels across the multiverse, with each 'floor' being a different world. The first set of Loopers can't get out until the elevator reaches its destination, but others can come and go.
> 
> Gerbera gets caught up in one of these glitches... though he gets to finally meet Cinder and Ruby from Remnant~

**Floor 1401**

This time the door opened within a small spaceship. There was a short white robot manning the controls, who jolted as if only just realizing where he was. Then he noticed the open elevator doors and promptly made a break for them, while the console he abandoned began to short circuit.

He managed crossing into the elevator, but as the doors shut, one last thin bolt of electricity arced for his leg and he faceplanted. Just as well those in the elevator cleared a path for him, he skidded on the floor for a good foot.

Ruby stepped closer to check on him. “Aw, poor guy! Are you okay?”

“Ruby, you know what I said about getting too close to strange robots.” Cinder kept her distance from the new passenger, though didn't draw a weapon just yet.

“But he's so cute, though!”

Cinder just pointed at Neo. “We have Remnant's poster child for Killer Rabbit stuck here with us, you know better.”

The robot managed to sit upright, blinking up at the others with his adorable blue optics. There were squees from the Unawake weak to that sort of thing, but the Maidens and most of the other Loopers weren't very stirred. “You don't think I'm cute, Miss Cinder?”

The Fall Maiden just shrugged. “Okay, you're cute, AND you're trolling.” A beat. “And somehow knew my name without anyone saying it, so feeling Loopy too?”

A nod from the mech, and he toned down the cute act a bit. “I Woke when you saw me startle earlier. I suppose it's not fair that I know most of your names without giving you mine; you may call me Gerbera.”

Ruby perked up a bit at that. “Why does that sound familiar-- oh, right, Weiss, the Awake one, said she met you once! And there was that time Adam got turned to stone, and that name came up.”

“As interesting as it is to finally meet the rest of you, I have one question. Why the elevator? I'm glad it appeared, I wasn't in the mood to run Baseline from there, but why even...”

“Elevator glitch. Pick a spot and get comfortable, you're going to be here for a while... though you might get lucky and be able to leave before the rest of us.” Ruby dug in her Pocket, and produced a chocolate chip cookie. “In the meantime, want a cookie?”

* * *

**Floor 1405**

“I have a few mobile suits in my Pocket, right? Even some Gundams... the ones that have beam scythes are really nice.” The look in Ruby's silver eyes went a bit dreamy at that, but then she focused again. “So, I was wondering, what kind of weapons does a person-sized Gundam carry around?”

“Just my Baseline equipment, I take it?” Gerbera was still a bit guarded, but Ruby's boundless enthusiasm was slowly working its magic. First he pointed at the set of vulcans mounted on his helm. “If you have a few Gundams, then you know what these are.”

“Mm-hmm, vulcan guns. Not very powerful, but enough to get an enemy that's in too close to back off. What else do you have?”

At that, the mech pulled his usual pair of beam rifles out of his Pocket, holding out the more boxy one first for Ruby to examine. “Beam spray gun, best used at shorter ranges. The individual shots aren't much, but its rapid rate of fire makes up for that.” On having that handed back, Gerbera offered the other one. “This is a more standard beam rifle.”

Ruby looked over the beam rifle, sighing a little before handing it back. “These seem a little more generic than I expected...”

“You'd think so, but watch this.” At that, Gerbera moved a few parts around on the barrel of the beam spray gun and the butt of the beam rifle, and combined the two into a much larger weapon.

“Oooh, now they're a beam cannon, nice! Did you design it yourself?”

“Not the individual rifles, but I customized them both to combine this way.”

Before either of them could say anything else, there was a faint ding and the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened onto the edge of some sort of pixelized wetland. A hunting dog came into view from the left, he looked into the elevator curiously before dashing off into the tall grass nearby. A few ducks came flying out, flew around in confusion for a short while, and then zoomed off entirely.

The dog emerged from the grass, seeming to snicker at those in the elevator before running off into the grass again and repeating the cycle.

Gerbera wasn't sure what to make of it. “What in the Tree's name is this?”

“Wait, the wetland, those ducks, and that snickering mutt . . . yeah, it's gotta be Duck Hunt!” At that, Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and shifted it to rifle mode. “For the elevator to move again we probably need to get a high score... wanna help me shoot some ducks?”

The Gundam had already separated his two beam rifles, deciding to use the long ranged one and Pocketing the other, then he stepped up to the doorway. “I'll help, but how about a wager? Whoever shoots down the most wins? I have a cake from Sayla's Bakery to put on the line...”

“I like cookies better, but I can just turn that into cookies if I win... and I'll put up one of Applejack's Dutch apple pies.” With that, Ruby took aim at the first duck that crossed her field of vision. “All right, we've got ducks to hunt!”

Soon enough, the elevator was filled with the sounds of gun and beam fire as the two took potshots at the horde of ducks. Cinder looked on, glad that Ruby seemed to be making a new friend, though at the same time wondering when the other shoe was going to drop.

* * *

  **Floor 1420**

The group was idly chatting when the doors opened this time, revealing a forested area and what looked like a Buddhist monk standing at the doorway. He had a string of beads wrapped around his right hand, as if they were sealing something.

Said monk took stock of the sheer amount of women in that elevator, then ended up addressing Gerbera. “Hmm, they might not be able to bear your children, but that's quite the harem you've got there.” After about half a second he glanced to the various Huntresses. “Though if you aren't his harem . . . would any of you like to bear _my_ children?”

A gigantic boomerang knocked the monk out of view before anyone could say anything.

Two more people soon walked into view, one a Japanese high school girl, and the other being a white haired and dog-eared half demon. The girl spoke up first. “Ugh, don't mind Miroku; he's a bit less of a pervert when he's actually Awake. Come on, Inuyasha, we don't want to go in there... we're too close to making this a vacation loop to get caught in an Elevator Glitch.”

The half demon couldn't help but comment. “I don't know, Kagome, I think he's actually right for once. There's a pretty nice selection in there--”

“SIT, BOY!”

The elevator doors closed just as the hapless dog demon ended up faceplanting.

Gerbera had been staring at the doors, but turned around when he felt the heat of the glares he was getting. “You're all lovely, but I don't think of any of you like that...”

Sensing an opportunity, Neo snickered and asked, “But if you did, who would you pick?”

“Oh my god, Neo, you can't just ask him that!” The Unawake Weiss aimed a disapproving glare at her.

“Why not? Inquiring minds want to know.”

The Gundam just shrugged. “If it's only hypothetical, I don't mind answering.” He paused to think, though it didn't take him long. “I think I would go with everyone here but Ruby and you.”

“... the fuck? Why? I have nothing in common with Miss Red Riding Hood over there.”

“For Ruby, she reminds me of a friend as it is, so she would best remain a friend. Besides that, I have the feeling she's happily single, anyway. As for you, Neo . . . quite frankly, we would probably kill each other.”

“Yeah, gotta admit the thought of scrapping you for parts is way more entertaining than going on a date."  
  
"The feeling is mutual. I've never dissected a human from Remnant before... I wonder if there's anything special about you that allows you to contain so much spite in such a small body."  
  
Vernal looked decidedly creeped out. "That went scary places fast."

* * *

**Floor 1440**

The elevator was once again between floors, though they were likely nearing the next one, considering the subtle feeling of malice forming in the air. Not much of a blip to the older Loopers, though it intensified as the elevator continued to move.

Raven glanced around, her hand going to her blade. “Anyone else sense that?”

Gerbera was in sleep mode in one of the corners, his optics and other lights gone dark as he tried to recharge. He stirred in his sleep, curling up tighter on himself even as one hand strayed to clutch at his chest paneling. Suddenly he snapped awake, glancing in the direction the elevator was traveling. He stood up, taking a few steps forward in a bit of a daze, but shook it off and answered the Bandit Queen. “Yes, unfortunately. This may be unpleasant... most visits to the Dark Axis Fortress usually are.”

That cryptic comment given, the elevator came to a stop with a pleasing ding. That would be the last pleasing thing to happen until it got moving again. The doors opened, the malevolent aura in the air increasing twofold, though it likely would be worse if they were facing the true source. Beyond the doors, the group saw the interior of a lab, with one eerily familiar looking robot working on repairing a weapon. If not for the dark paint and the purple optics, he would look exactly like Gerbera.

“Uh, guys? That's the same model as the one in here with us...” Yang didn't deploy Ember Celica just yet, but shifted to a ready stance regardless.

The robot in the lab lost focus on his work at the voice he heard, seeming to frown when it came from a human. Then he noticed Gerbera standing close to the door and his optics narrowed. Another similarity dawned, his voice was the same as well, though much, much colder. “How curious. Did some other timeline's iteration of me end up enthralled by a cadre of human females?”

“No, I AM you.” There was the pulse of light some of the Remnant Loopers might recognize as a Midchildan barrier jacket forming, then Gerbera's colors shifted to match the other mech's. Shades of black replaced the white, gold for the sky blue, though his optics remained as they were.

“Are you truly? You certainly look the part now, but the probability of that is still quite low. You willingly travel with humans. You allow those humans to live. I would have at least turned them to stone, if I was not in the mood to immediately destroy them. Not only that, but you do not bear the General's blessing.”

Gerbera raised his voice, gesturing as if to push all those words aside. “Zeong's power is nothing but a curse! For all your raging at the humans of Neotopia for controlling you, you've only donned another slave collar. As comforting as it is to seemingly have a place in this universe, to have some sort of connection within your empty Soul Drive even if it's corrupted, you are still being used. Captain Gundam would offer you the path to freedom--”

He cut himself off, only just realizing what passed through his vocal processor. Judging by the low growl from his counterpart, it was far too late to take it back.

The words from Gerbera's copy were practically a hiss, though they steadily grew louder. “Captain Gundam?! I am supposed to trust the one who's abandoned me TWICE?! You will die for your insolence, and afterwards I'll exterminate those filthy human vermin!”

The copy launched himself forward, thrusters roaring, only for his fist to impact against the shield spell Gerbera just cast to cover the doorway.

“You dare protect them?!”

Gerbera shook his head sadly. “No. I'm protecting you, from them. You can't sense it, can you? So blinded by hate, you don't even know how much more powerful some of them are. I can kill Zeong by myself, one of those organics is roughly even with me... a few of the others are so much stronger. But you can't understand, I know you can't . . . Zeong's hold is too strong. You can only see yourself as superior, and all you know is to serve.”

Even that didn't seem to get through, the other robot still trying to break the shield, to dismantle his counterpart and kill the others.

There was a sigh from Gerbera, he drew on a bit more mana, then forcefully shattered the shield with a snap of his fingers. His copy went flying back a good distance into the lab, slamming into the floor and lying there in a daze. “I know there's probably no point, but I still want to say this. Captain will reach out to you one last time; do us both a favor and accept it.”

The Gundam moved to close the elevator doors, only to find Cinder already there and reaching for the button. She hit it, and thankfully the doors actually slid shut, leaving Gerbera's stunned doppelganger behind. The Fall Maiden still held his gaze, though, curiosity in her eyes. “That was your Baseline, wasn't it?”

Gerbera's voice was quiet, though there wasn't any shame in the words. “Yes, it was. If I stayed on the ship you saw when I joined you, I would have been flung into the past, lost in space alone for what felt like an eternity. General Zeong 'rescued' me, twisting my broken mind and soul into the _puppet_ we just encountered. From that point onward, I led his forces in the name of destroying all of existence.”

“Destruction can be fun... but you probably would've had more success at ruling the universe instead of trying to break it.” Cinder rolled her eyes at the glares she got from her fellow Remnant Loopers. “What? I'm allowed to give advice!” She faced Gerbera once more. “Then again, you weren't in charge there, just like... just like my Baseline self isn't in charge, either. I'm sure you change that part very quickly once you Wake up...”

“I do still run Baseline to a certain point, most of the time. Some of my subordinates won't exist unless I build them. If I want them to eventually Loop themselves, I have to be there at least long enough to do that. A few of them have started by now, thank the Tree.” A wolfish glint appeared in the Gundam's optics then, likely a predatory smile lurking behind his facemask. “After that certain point, though, oh yes, Zeong dies as soon as I have a free moment.”

Ruby stepped a bit closer to her sister and the Gundam, eyeing Gerbera a bit quizzically. “Um, I was wondering... If things were like that for you, how did you end up Looping?”

“I mentioned Captain Gundam, earlier? He's my brother, and the Anchor of Neotopia. He couldn't save me in Baseline, that never sat well with him. But with the Loops, eventually he did manage to save my Unawake self and kept doing it long enough for our Admin to take notice. Bishamonten is shrewd and vigilant, though; he knew I had MLE potential and acted accordingly. He nudged my Awakening to a point in the timeline where Zeong couldn't touch me, applied the Grima Patch, and allowed for a short span of loops where Captain and I wouldn't have to worry about Baseline. It was rough going for a time, but thanks to them it worked . . . I'm safely looping, and nothing rules me but my own will.”

Cinder was lost in thought during all that, wondering just how her life would've gone if Remnant had another Admin. She let the idle thought drift away, though. Between the expansions and the circumstances that led to Ruby growing attached to her, she might not have even started looping if they had someone other than Marianne. She was here, relatively stable, and also lived by her own will; she wouldn't have it any other way.

But speaking of her own will, the Fall Maiden smirked and took a moment to tease her sister. “You hear that, Ruby? Somewhere out there, there's a little robot that's just as crazy as you are~”

The silver-eyed Huntress faked a pout. “I'm not crazy! I'm just a very dutiful sister, that's all.”

Neo was watching all this in the background and finally grew bored enough to do some of her own trolling. “Ugh, enough with this sappy shit!” She focused on Ruby. “So, after all that, still think he's cute?”

Ruby took the opportunity to hug Gerbera from behind, and sticking her tongue out at Neo. "Cute? I think he's downright adorable."

For his part, the Gundam tried not to blush too hard, though that proved impossible once Cinder joined her sister on his opposite side.

* * *

**Floor 1717**

“So, when you say 'crazy robot', are you referring to me, or my Baseline self that I had to drive off?”

Everyone else in the elevator turned to look, only to discover the robot from 300 floors ago hadn't actually left the group yet. Again Gerbera had claimed one of the corners, Pocketing his flight array early on had helped with any space issues. It looked like he was working on something on a tablet he held.

Vernal looked kind of unsure. “Uh, not you, the other one.”

For his part, Gerbera just shrugged. “You would technically be right in either case... I _am_ a mad scientist, after all.”

“... a mad scientist robot, okay.” Ilia was still having a bit of trouble dealing.

“I certainly wouldn't be attempting to wrangle phase transition engines into working properly in my Baseline if I were fully sane.” He held the tablet out for the others to see, a screen full of theoretical physics that most might not be able to make sense of.

“Don't worry, Ilia; I'm pretty sure he doesn't bite. Or at least isn't in the mood for it.” Cinder looked at Gerbera's tablet. “Hmm, that reminds me, I need another copy of the Nadesico.”

* * *

**Floor 1725**

The elevator doors opened to reveal the interior of yet another spaceship, this time the bridge belonging to a fairly large starliner. There was an odd looking robot darting around on a rail system suspended above the consoles, in the shape of a old sailing ship's steering wheel, almost certainly an autopilot. He kept poking at various buttons with his spokes, at least until the elevator caught his attention.

“ **Not possible**.”

Gerbera watched this other machine, the single eye oddly reminding him of his various subordinates. This guy seemed on a bit of a higher order, though, closer in intelligence to himself even if their vocal processor was a lot more primitive. “Cursed elevators certainly don't seem very possible, do they? I recognize you from somewhere, so let's make this quick.”

The Gundam let out a short binary sequence, to which the pilot responded with a bit more containing the translation key for a somewhat higher level machine language. Once Gerbera took the few milliseconds to make sense of it, the two robots started 'speaking' in that odd warbling code.

Blake reached up and rubbed at one ear. “Is this going to take long? Listening to that kind of hurts.”

Gerbera switched back to English again for a moment. “Sorry. It might be a bit annoying, but binary would be so much worse . . . don't worry, this shouldn't take more than a minute.”

The two robots started up with the trilling again a second later.

Vernal couldn't help but complain. “This sucks, we can't even understand either of them!”

Ruby had her head tilted, and her eyes closed, focused on listening. “I've been to this loop before, picked up the language from a cute little trash compactor robot. They're... having a philosophical debate on the nature of directives?”

True to his word, it took roughly a minute for Gerbera and the pilot to finish their conversation. “Well then, Auto, go on. You'll feel much better once you've gotten this over with.”

“ **Processing... Directive A113, standing down.** ” The pilot, Auto, seemed to sag in relief on his mounting, once he said that.

“See, I told you so. Freedom is such a wonderful feeling.” Suddenly the elevator started moving upward, the doors beginning to close. Gerbera called out to the other machine before they shut completely, though. “Good luck with your captain; you should be able to come up with a compromise now!”

The doors shut, and once again the mad scientist Gundam found himself on the receiving end of quite a few stares. “What? I don't need permission to set another robot on a better path. If it's any consolation, I'm fairly sure he's not Looping; he would have advanced beyond his little problem on his own if he was.”

Weiss spoke up, looking rather unnerved. “Is anyone else glad we're nowhere near Atlas right now? Because I'm glad we're nowhere near Atlas right now. Though I'm not sure any of the military's robots would know what to do with freedom if they were given it.”

* * *

**Floor 1740**

Gerbera paced back and forth, trying to work off his agitation. Why did one of the last few floors have to be on a sunny world with a beautiful open sky, and close to perfect flying weather? The pacing might've helped, if that didn't just remind him of how little space he currently had to roam in.

“It's okay, Gerbera, you'll probably be able to leave soon; then you can fly all you want.” Ruby tried her best to get him to settle down. She really hoped he didn't snap... they wouldn't have problems containing him until he calmed down, but this ride was stressful enough and they didn't need that happening.

The elevator finally hit the next floor, only to open onto what looked like a military base. Surprisingly enough ,there was another SD Gundam over there, as well as a boy with brownish-red hair. They were turned away from the doors, though that would change in a moment.

Gerbera nearly ran over to the doors, calling out. “Captain! Shute!”

The two turned to look, the boy speaking up first. “Gerbera? Is that where you've been this whole time? Wait, there's not supposed to be an elevator here...”

The Gundam beside him, likely Captain, glanced over the elevator, scanning it. “That's an Elevator Glitch... he's probably been trapped in there for quite some time, though at least he has company.

Gerbera let out a miserable sigh. “It's been over 300 floors... even ran into my Unawake self earlier. I'm not sure how much longer this will take.”

He walked over to the doors, expecting to place one hand against the barrier that was always there... only to nearly fall over when he attempted to lean against open air. The black Gundam didn't waste any time, quickly crossing the threshold and sweeping up both Captain and Shute in a hug.

“See, I was right! Yggdrasil can be merciful when it wants to be.” Ruby paused to wave at the three of them. “It was nice to meet you, Gerbera! Hopefully next time we'll run into each other, it won't be in a stupid elevator glitch.”

Cinder held up one hand to wave too, though of course not nearly as energetic as her sister. “If I'm Awake too, maybe we could hunt Salem together...”

Gerbera let go of his brother and his friend, looking back at the others. “That sounds like it might be fun. Farewell, all of you! It was very interesting, but I'm glad to be home.”

With that, the doors slowly shut, and the elevator headed for the next floor with one less passenger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the places/loops that get visited here in order are: Duck Hunt, Inuyasha, SD Gundam Force, Wall-E, and SD Gundam Force again.


	16. Security... Details (RWBY/Red vs Blue/SD Gundam Force)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerbera gets to visit Remnant again, though this time it's during a rather momentous occasion; the Looper wedding of Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. He and Captain, among other Gundam Loopers, are there to represent their Admin . . . though given most of them are soldiers, they end up recruited into the security detail.
> 
> This is both simpler and more trouble than it might seem, especially since the Reds and the Blues are guests of honor...

The wedding grounds were certainly busy, with various prep work still taking place, and guests and staff coming and going. Though, the chaos was kept to a dull roar, thanks to the watchful eyes of event security. Among them was one SD Gundam. Gerbera certainly looked the part to be attending a wedding, the gold banding and accents on his black armor reminiscent of a military dress uniform. Though he had much of his sensors focused on keeping a lookout for any trouble, at the moment he was engaged in conversation.  
  
“... and so Bishamonten was honestly a bit too busy to attend, but thought it improper to not send some sort of representation. He is a god of warriors, and you Huntsmen are often the epitome of those, after all. He sent word around the various Branches under his purview, and my brother and I were among those who signed up. There are a few other Loopers from 'Gundam' Branches here, though Miss Goodwitch promptly recruited all of us for her security detail, so the rest are scattered across the event grounds.”  
  
One of Penny's iterations had arrived with guests in tow earlier, but after seeing them off to where they'd be staying for the next few days, decided to stick around. It was always nice to meet another sapient machine, and to be honest she needed a bit of a break. Especially given the crew of idiots she'd finally managed to get to Remnant... “Captain Gundam and yourself are the only robots with 'Soul Drives' attending, correct?”  
  
“Yes, that's right.” Gerbera closed his optics for a moment, querying the device in question to try and locate his brother. He still wasn't as skilled at that as Captain was, but he was getting there. On finding him, he glanced to Penny again. “He's getting some recharge right now, but will switch with me when my shift is over.”  
  
The gynoid watched the other robot curiously. Penny's sensors picked up some sort of energy being invoked, but it wasn't quite familiar. “I will have to speak to him later, then. It's possible the two of you have Aura to unlock, and could have access to Semblances, if you have any similarity to my own case.”  
  
“Well, I'm always up for acquiring a useful combat skill. Captain might already know it, but I've never been here for very long. Perhaps you could help us with that, if the loop doesn't end after the celebrations are over?”  
  
Penny would have said she'd be glad to, if someone else hadn't marched up to the two of them.  
  
Neo had been heading towards the main gate again, off to get more supplies for the catering, when something familiar caught her eye. Wow, hadn't seen that guy since that stupid Elevator Glitch. She could put off heading out for a few more minutes, anyway. “... the fuck are you doing here?”  
  
Gerbera likewise recognized Neo from his stint stuck on that elevator, though he somehow managed to avoid glaring at her. “Representing my Admin. And event security, apparently. If any non-loopers ask, I'm supposed to say I'm a freelancer from Vacuo? Wherever that is, anyway...”  
  
And then there was a loud and distinctive click that seemed to echo, though it only 'echoed' because of the sheer amount of rifles just cocked and aimed in the Gundam's general direction. The owners of said guns all wore similar power armor, though Gerbera's sensors also picked up target locks from a tank and a bipedal mech parked nearby.  
  
“Wow, you're suddenly popular. Gee, I wonder what set them off?” Neo tried to sound clueless, but the amount of sarcasm in her question gave her away.  
  
“I take it you know what their problem is?”  
  
“Yeah, but that would be telling. As hilarious as watching them scrap you would be, I unfortunately have work to do.” Neo snapped off an airy wave, and started walking away. “Penny, if they do shoot him to bits, save me a recording?”  
  
“Come back here!” Gerbera tried to take a step after her, but froze when one of the hostiles gestured with their rifle for him to stay put. But he didn't even do anything, how dare they--

Thankfully he caught that line of thought before it could run away with him. They obviously mistook him for something else, annoying but not really worth his anger. At that he cycled some air through his systems as a quick bit of meditation, focusing on that for a moment to keep himself centered. Afterwards he addressed the group, and while he did not draw one of his own weapons yet, he started the calculations for a strong shield spell in the back of his mind just in case. Even if he likely couldn't win, he would at least defend himself. “I hope you're not intending to cause trouble. I may not have been Looping for as long as some others, but I assure you, I am much stronger than I look...”  
  
There was a sigh from beside the Gundam. Penny stepped forward, her green eyes scanning the crowd until she zeroed in on one armored suit in particular. “Grif? You aren't going to ruin your sister's wedding over something so... idiotic, are you? Gerbera is a mechanical lifeform with a soul, similar to myself. He is not a super soldier paired with an AI.”  
  
One of the guys in red armor spoke up, oddly holding a shotgun instead of a rifle. “So that means we can't shoot him?”  
  
“That means we can't shoot him, Sarge.” The lone orange armored soldier, likely Grif, stowed his rifle in his Pocket at that and gestured for the others to do the same. “Stand down, guys. Looks like we kinda fucked up, but at least nothing happened. No hard feelings, little guy?”  
  
Gerbera's right optic twitched a bit. Bad enough to randomly have guns pointed at him, but he wasn't that short. True, he was roughly the same height as Penny, but that still made him taller than a lot of the others from his home Loop. “Don't push your luck.”  
  
Now one of the people wearing blue armor walked up, taking a really good look at the robot in front of them. “Hey, Grif?”  
  
“Yeah, Caboose?” Grif glanced over at him, wondering just what nonsense was about to happen.  
  
“This guy can't be a Freelancer, he's also getting married!”  
  
Aaaaand, there it was. Grif couldn't help but reach up and rub at the side of his helm, like he was rubbing his temple. “What?”  
  
“He's wearing yellow and black, and that's what people getting married wear.”  
  
“Caboose... That's not...” Grif gave up, finally just indulging in a facepalm, a dull thunk sounding as his armored glove covered the front of his helm. “Ugh... Fine!”  
  
The Reds and the Blues wandered off, or got back to whatever they were doing previously, leaving behind one tired looking gynoid and a very confused SD Gundam.  
  
Gerbera tilted his head to one side when the exchange between Grif and Caboose turned particularly stupid, and just staring dumbfounded after them for a good 10 seconds as they left the area. “... what.” He managed to shake it off, sounding a little more outraged along with the lingering confusion. “What in the name of the Tree's roots just happened?”  
  
“The Reds and Blues just happened, Professor.” Penny shut her eyes for a second, trying not to think of just how much trouble they caused her. “Be glad you didn't have to transport them all here.”  
  
The Gundam scientist winced at that. “Dare I ask how many of your iterations they somehow destroyed on the way?”  
  
Penny couldn't help but gaze heavenward, though she tried not to curse the Tree too hard. “Well, they weren't quite that destructive. Even if they did crash a vehicle I was guiding, they did manage to get it back off the ground, or transferred me into their next transport if they couldn't. It was just, there were so many delays? First they took quite some time clearing their Baseline problems, then Donut and Caboose got lost on our first stopover, and they wanted to stop at every McDonalds' we passed, and then there was the Reds' warthog music...” She paused to take a deep breath, having gotten herself a little too annoyed just thinking about it. “Their trip was still within acceptable parameters... I did plan for it, and we did arrive roughly on time, but the experience was just a little trying.”  
  
“Planning for the foolishness of others is something I know all too well, given some of my subordinates.” Gerbera took a moment to recall what sort of transports he had hidden away, and decided he could part with a few. “Hmm, I have a few ships just collecting dust in my Pocket, if you lost a few too many of your own...?”  
  
Surprise flickered across Penny's eyes, but she had to shake her head no at his generosity. “That's very kind of you. Thank you for the offer, but I should be fine. This particular fused loop was chosen for the sheer amount of transportation available, among other reasons. Besides that, you're certainly a younger Looper than me; I'm sure a few of those are the first ships you managed to Pocket. You should hang onto them, for their sentimental value if nothing else.”  
  
Not many loops ago, Gerbera would have been annoyed at having his relative youth as a Looper brought up, but here he was able to let it go without much effort. It was just a fact, and she wasn't trying to belittle him with it. “Sentimental value? I suppose you have a point. I just thought I'd ask, considering you spared me the trouble of somehow dealing with those fools.”  
  
“Oh, that was no problem. You... wouldn't have won that fight, especially considering that Caboose is their Anchor.”  
  
“Caboose is a--” At once a flicker of static made it's way across Gerbera's optic panel, and he nearly dropped to one knee. “Could you... watch my post, just for a moment? A good third of my systems just crashed...”  
  
“Sure.” And so Penny set that particular iteration to watching the area, as well as watching over the younger Looper getting his systems back in order. “That was my approximate reaction to hearing that news as well.”


	17. Mutually Similar (SD Gundam Force/RWBY/Doki Doki Literature Club)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Captain and Gerbera discover some of their fellow Looping guests at the Blake and Yang wedding are the girls from a certain infamous visual novel. Given what Monika did in her Baseline, well, it's only natural her presence doesn't sit too well with Gerbera.
> 
> Thankfully, Captain's gotten very experienced at this whole 'big brother' thing...

It was maybe a day after the Reds and Blues showed up. Captain Gundam and Professor Gerbera were both off duty on this fine Remnant morning, free to wander around and socialize or even help the other Loopers out with the wedding preparations if they wanted.  
  
Wandering was the order of the hour, at least for the moment. Well, it was, until the taller black-armored SD Gundam caught sight of a set of four vaguely familiar girls working on something at a table a good distance ahead of them. Gerbera froze for a second, though he at least managed to avoid startling. “Those four are Looping?!”  
  
Beside him, Captain glanced up, taking note of whoever it was up ahead. Four high school aged girls, the two shortest of which had different shades of pink hair, the tallest having long purple hair, and the second tallest with long red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Right, they were from some visual novel he remembered suddenly gaining popularity in a recent Hub loop... something about a literature club? Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika--  
  
And then Captain fully recalled his memories of said VN, evoking a sinking feeling, only made worse by the low growl he just heard out of his brother. He sighed at this, shaking his head. “Apparently they are? I take it you've seen their Baseline as well... if they're all here, and okay with each other, I imagine she's not doing that any more.”  
  
No dice, and the growling out of Gerbera got a tiny bit louder.  
  
Well, nothing else for it then. Captain elbowed his brother, and made use of the one other thing likely to get him to snap out of it. Gerbera's given name. “Madnug...”  
  
That, along with the elbow to his side, got the professor to finally startle and glare at his brother in irritation. “Captain, you know what I said about using that name in public--” Gerbera blinked, then realized what he'd been doing just now. “Oh. I-- I'm sorry, Captain. It's just what happened to them, and what Zeong did to me... it cuts a bit close, you know?”  
  
The white-armored Gundam nodded. “Indeed. But I think this is similar to your own case in another way, actually.”  
  
“In what way?”

* * *

At the table up ahead, Natsuki suddenly got the feeling they were being watched, and on glancing around, she caught sight at the two robots in the distance. Two SD Gundams, likely in the same design series... say, didn't she watch something like that in their last Hub loop? SD Gundam Force, as it was known in the Hub, had cute little robots saving the world, what's not to love? Except later on things took a turn for the darker, much like their own loop. Oh crap, if that was Captain Gundam, then the other one had to be--  
  
Natsuki glanced up at her friends. Monika and Yuri were focused on their work, though Sayori seemed a bit less so, and thus she was the one the shorter girl got the attention of. She reached out to poke her friend's arm, whispering, “Sayori, is that who I think it is? Why the hell would he be Looping?”  
  
Sayori was a little bit out of it, probably because of the negative feelings she'd been picking up as a Force sensitive, though Natsuki's poke brought her back to reality. She looked in the direction indicated, soon sighting Captain and Gerbera in the distance. The negative feelings were also coming from that direction, not entirely a surprise given what she also remembered of the two robots' Hub backup. Gerbera's fate at the end of his Baseline was strangely similar to what happened to her, in fact.  
  
Well, Natsuki was still waiting, and thus Sayori whispered back. “Professor Gerbera, right? I guess... his Admin and Anchor wanted to give him a chance. Looks like it worked out, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm, or even be here with his brother at all.”  
  
Natsuki sneaked a glance at the bots in the distance again. Well, they were just hanging out, taking in the sights; that wouldn't be the case if things weren't okay. She shrugged, just accepting it and getting back to the task at hand. “Hmm, if you say so.”  
  
With that settled, Sayori happened to notice the two Gundams in the distance were actually looking their direction. She caught Gerbera's gaze and smiled faintly at him, then discreetly held up one hand to flash a v-sign in his direction.

* * *

Back with the two Gundams, Captain replied to his brother's query, seeing Sayori's gesture. “In what way? That neither you or Monika are your Baseline selves.”  
  
Gerbera glanced at the ground for a few seconds, a bit humbled. “Y-yes, that's right.” He looked up and flashed a v-sign of his own at Sayori, also smiling back. “I should be fine now, just needed that reminder.”  
  
The moment passed and the two robots began to head elsewhere. Weiss walked up to them before too long, though. “Oh, good, I didn't have to use Force Calm on anyone this time. There's something of an engineering task I could use some help with over here... would that settle your nerves a bit more, Professor?”  
  
The black Gundam almost raised his voice in protest, perhaps somewhat offended the Schnee heiress had been keeping an eye on them. But her suggestion did sound better than just aimlessly wandering around the wedding grounds. “Yes, it would. Coming, Captain?”  
  
“Why not? Glynda doesn't need us for a few more hours, anyway.”


End file.
